Kenai Peninsula Borough Disaster Risk

Kenai Peninsula Borough has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate, placing it in the 93th percentile nationally out of 3,144 counties. This composite score reflects the county's overall exposure to natural hazards including floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes, weighted by expected annual loss and social vulnerability.

Kenai Peninsula Borough is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (99th percentile), wildfire (97th percentile), flooding (44th percentile), tornado (1th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 99th percentile nationally. These scores are derived from FEMA's National Risk Index, which analyzes expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience for each hazard type.

Kenai Peninsula Borough's composite risk percentile is 93th, compared to the Alaska state average of 35th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Kenai Peninsula Borough faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Alaska.

Yes, Kenai Peninsula Borough's earthquake risk is at the 99th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Kenai Peninsula Borough is at the 44th percentile.

FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) calculates risk scores for 18 natural hazard types across all U.S. counties and census tracts. The composite score combines Expected Annual Loss (estimated dollar losses from each hazard), Social Vulnerability (demographic factors affecting disaster impact), and Community Resilience (ability to recover). Percentile scores rank each county against all 3,144 U.S. counties, and risk ratings range from Very Low to Very High.

Kenai Peninsula Borough's composite risk score of 93th percentile is above the Alaska state average of 35th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (99th percentile), along with wildfire risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.