TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
WillowGood afternoon
Natural hazards · Willow

Willow, AK natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Willow comes from avalanches, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2006. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Willow?

92
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Willow to be higher than in 92% of U.S. communities, mostly from avalanches and earthquakes.

Avalanches78%Earthquakes16%Everything else7%
By hazard

What Willow faces

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

Avalanches

78% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 0% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% 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 Willow flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Willow, from FEMA’s records.

11paid claims since 2006
$427Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20062026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Willow 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 Willow

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Willow itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Willow.

Brought FEMA money into WillowDeclared for Matanuska-Susitna Borough only
2018

Earthquake

101 households applied for aid $440K aid approved
2003

Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures

3 households applied for aid $977 aid approved
2002

Earthquake

1 household applied for aid $3K aid approved
Matanuska-Susitna Borough has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Willow

Willow and the towns around it

Susitna North: High, mostly avalanchesBig Lake: Very high, mostly earthquakesMeadow Lakes: Very high, mostly avalanchesFishhook: Very high, mostly avalanchesHouston: Very high, mostly earthquakesTanaina: Very high, mostly earthquakesTalkeetna: High, mostly avalanchesKnik-Fairview: Very high, mostly earthquakesPoint MacKenzie: Very high, mostly earthquakesWasilla: Very high, mostly earthquakesBuffalo Soapstone: Very high, mostly avalanchesNorth Lakes: Very high, mostly earthquakesFarm Loop: Very high, mostly avalanchesWillow: Very high, mostly avalanches WillowSusitna NorthBig LakeMeadow LakesFishhookHoustonTanaina
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Houstonmostly earthquakesVery high
Big Lakemostly earthquakesVery high
Tanainamostly earthquakesVery high
Willowmostly avalanchesVery high
Meadow Lakesmostly avalanchesVery high
Fishhookmostly avalanchesVery high
Susitna Northmostly avalanchesHigh
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. Willow covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Willow’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Willow. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Willow total about $19.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Willow, AKView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Willow is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map