Northwest Arctic Borough Disaster Risk

Northwest Arctic Borough has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 55th 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.

Northwest Arctic Borough is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (66th percentile), earthquake (66th percentile), flooding (3th percentile), tornado (1th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 66th 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.

Northwest Arctic Borough's composite risk percentile is 55th, compared to the Alaska state average of 35th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Northwest Arctic Borough faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Alaska.

Yes, Northwest Arctic Borough's wildfire risk is at the 66th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Northwest Arctic Borough is at the 3th 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.

Northwest Arctic Borough's composite risk score of 55th percentile is above the Alaska state average of 35th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (66th percentile), along with earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.