Natural disaster risk in Sitka City and Borough, Alaska
Alaska · population 8,434 · FIPS 02220
Overall: very low risk
Sitka City and Borough has a composite risk score of 23.8 out of 100 — higher than 23% of US counties. It ranks 16 of 30 in Alaska (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, volcanic activity, avalanche.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 10.03% of Sitka City and Borough is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 11 weeks in a row.
Drought in Sitka City and 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. |
Very low 23.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $7.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 23.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 55.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 80.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Sitka City and Borough, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively high 99 |
| Volcanic activity | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Avalanche | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 83 |
| Tsunami | Relatively low 55 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 35 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 34 |
| Ice storm | Very low 22 |
| Wildfire | Very low 8 |
| Lightning | Very low 4 |
| Cold wave | Very low 2 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 2 |
| Tornado | Very low 0 |
| Drought | No rating |
| Hail | No rating |
| Heat wave | Insufficient data |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Strong wind | No rating |
FEMA disaster declarations for Sitka City and Borough
Federal declarations that designated Sitka City and Borough, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Sitka City and Borough.
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 Sitka City and Borough, Alaska?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Sitka City and Borough as very low, with a score of 23.8 out of 100 (higher than 23% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Sitka City and Borough?
The hazards rated highest for Sitka City and Borough are landslide (relatively high), volcanic activity (relatively moderate), avalanche (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Sitka City and Borough?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Sitka City and Borough as very low, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Sitka City and Borough had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Sitka City and Borough.
Is Sitka City and Borough in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 10.03% of Sitka City and Borough is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 11 weeks in a row.
Every borough or census area in Alaska, ranked · All states · Disasters near me