King Cove’s biggest natural hazard is tsunamis
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in King Cove comes from tsunamis, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about King Cove’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does King Cove flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in King Cove. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
How exposed is King Cove?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 99% of U.S. communities, mostly from tsunamis and volcanic activity.
Rated higher than 344 of the 352 Alaska towns we cover.
King Cove is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What King Cove faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Tsunamis
Volcanic activity
Earthquakes
Landslides
1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to King Cove
Disasters that paid out in King Cove itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of King Cove) and its biggest flood years.
- 1999Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches$20K to the City of King Cove for repairs
Aleutians East Borough has had 1 natural disaster declared since 1953, most often severe storms.
Old photos of King Cove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the King Cove archive →Get ready for what King Cove actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- Keep N95 masks and goggles for ash.
- Know the evacuation routes.
- Keep ash out of the house and car vents.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to King Cove’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of King Cove.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in King Cove.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.