Natural hazards · Sutton-Alpine

Sutton-Alpine, AK natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sutton-Alpine comes from avalanches, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Sutton-Alpine?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sutton-Alpine to be higher than in 80% of U.S. communities, mostly from avalanches.

Avalanches87%Earthquakes10%Everything else3%

By hazard

What Sutton-Alpine faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Avalanches

87% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Lower here

Inland floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHeat wavesStrong windDroughtTsunamis

Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Sutton-Alpine flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sutton-Alpine.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Sutton-Alpine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Disasters that hit Sutton-Alpine

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Matanuska-Susitna Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sutton-Alpine itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Sutton-AlpineDeclared for Matanuska-Susitna Borough only

Matanuska-Susitna Borough has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Sutton-Alpine

Sutton-Alpine and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Buffalo Soapstonemostly avalanchesVery high

Sutton-Alpinemostly avalanchesVery high

Chickaloonmostly avalanchesVery high

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Sutton-Alpine is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sutton-Alpine’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Sutton-Alpine. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.