Natural disaster risk in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
Alaska · population 107,000 · FIPS 02170
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Matanuska-Susitna Borough has a composite risk score of 93.3 out of 100 — higher than 93% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 30 in Alaska (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are avalanche, earthquake, winter weather.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Matanuska-Susitna Borough is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 14 weeks in a row.
Drought in Matanuska-Susitna Borough: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively moderate 93.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $161.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 94.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 17.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 3.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very high 99 |
| Earthquake | Relatively high 98 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 93 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 61 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 54 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 51 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 80 |
| Ice storm | Very low 16 |
| Tsunami | Very low 9 |
| Hail | Very low 3 |
| Tornado | Very low 0 |
| Coastal flooding | No rating |
| Drought | No rating |
| Heat wave | Insufficient data |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Strong wind | No rating |
FEMA disaster declarations for Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Federal declarations that designated Matanuska-Susitna Borough, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Matanuska-Susitna Borough has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4904-AK (Severe Storm), declared 7 Apr 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4904-AK | Major disaster | Severe Storm | 7 Apr 2026 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Alaska, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Matanuska-Susitna Borough as relatively moderate, with a score of 93.3 out of 100 (higher than 93% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
The hazards rated highest for Matanuska-Susitna Borough are avalanche (very high), earthquake (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Matanuska-Susitna Borough as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Matanuska-Susitna Borough had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Matanuska-Susitna Borough has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4904-AK (Severe Storm), declared 7 Apr 2026.
Is Matanuska-Susitna Borough in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Matanuska-Susitna Borough is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 14 weeks in a row.
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