Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Chugach Census Area, AK

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
02063
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: No county-level plan row in FEMA data.

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Avalanche ($4,936,670 a year), Earthquake ($2,691,253) and Cold Wave ($1,094,368).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

No county-level plan row in FEMA data

What changed since your last plan

Not available. No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Cordova cityCityApproved, expires 2031-05-21Cordova LHMP (FEMA plan 110098)2026-05-222031-05-211,694this jurisdiction approved 2026-05-27
Valdez cityCityExpired on 2024-03-11Valdez HMP (FEMA plan 105200)2019-03-122024-03-11-933
Whittier cityCityApproved, expires 2027-08-23Whittier HMP (FEMA plan 108297)2022-08-242027-08-23327

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1AvalancheVery HighRelatively High$9,544n/a$4,927,126$4,936,67021
2EarthquakeRelatively LowRelatively Low$1,715,394n/a$975,859$2,691,253Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
3Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$1,966$0$1,092,402$1,094,36811
4LandslideRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$8,510n/a$387,184$395,6940Declared 3 times; no Storm Events record of this type.
5TsunamiVery LowVery Low$306,656n/a$0$306,6560No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
6Inland FloodingVery LowVery Low$266,075$0$17$266,09225
7Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Low$8,300$0$33,035$41,335289
8LightningVery LowVery Low$170n/a$6,142$6,3110No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
9WildfireVery LowVery Low$644$0$51$6945
10Coastal FloodingVery LowVery Low$478n/a$80$5581
11Ice StormVery LowVery Low$25n/a$478$50418
12HailVery LowVery Low$13$0$3$162
13TornadoVery LowVery Lowunder $1$0under $1under $10No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14DroughtNo RatingNo Expected Annual Lossesn/a$0n/a$00No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
15Strong WindNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0$0$0$0287Includes 287 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
16Volcanic ActivityNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0n/a$0$00No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
Heat WaveInsufficient DataInsufficient Datan/an/an/an/a0No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local landslide, tsunami, lightning, volcanic activity and heat wave records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: hurricane. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Coastal Flooding and Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Avalanchetract 2 (Relatively High, 93.8); tract 3 (Relatively High, 93.6)
Earthquaketract 3 (Relatively High, 94.4); tract 2 (Relatively High, 90.1)
Landslidetract 2 (Relatively High, 99.8); tract 3 (Relatively High, 99.5)
Tornadotract 3 (Very Low, 0.2); tract 2 (Very Low, 0.2)
Tsunamitract 3 (Relatively Low, 78.7); tract 2 (Relatively Low, 71.5)
Volcanic Activityno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Wildfiretract 3 (Very Low, 55.7); tract 2 (Very Low, 52.6)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 2 is Census Tract 2). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Avalanchenone (count and damage only)21 records, 2001 to 2024 (21 zone-level)Avalanche, 2001-01-19, $10,000 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars); NWS zone AKZ125Countywide (zone-level records).
Coastal Flood, Storm Surge/Tidenone in data (flood depth: FIRM)1 record, 2018 (1 zone-level)Storm Surge/Tide, 2018-10-23, $77,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars); NWS zone AKZ125Countywide (zone-level records).Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map.
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill11 records, 2006 to 2022 (11 zone-level)1 day to 16 days (median 2.5 days); 6 with a recorded value16 consecutive days, 2008-12-27 to 2009-01-11, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)0Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)2 records, 2004 to 2007 (2 zone-level)No hail record can stand as this county's largest: the 2 records with a recorded size reached this county only through an NWS zone that covers more than one county, so the hail may have occurred outside this county (zone-level); they are counted as occurrences.Countywide (zone-level records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)0
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)18 records, 2002 to 2015 (18 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2007-10-30, $5,000 property; $0 crops (2007 dollars); NWS zone AKZ141Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)25 records, 2001 to 2024 (25 zone-level)Flood, 2006-10-10, $10,000,000 property; $0 crops (2006 dollars); NWS zone AKZ141Countywide (zone-level records).Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)0Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)287 records, 2000 to 2026 (287 zone-level)43 kt (49 mph) to 119 kt (137 mph) (median 69 kt (79 mph)); 287 with a recorded value119 kt (137 mph) measured gust, High Wind, 2008-02-02; NWS zone AKZ131High Wind, 2011-03-02, $203,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)0
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)0Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Tsunaminone (count and damage only)0
Volcanic Ash, Volcanic AshfallVolcanic Explosivity Index (local data)0
Wildfireacres burned (local data)5 records, 2004 to 2023 (5 zone-level)Wildfire, 2004-08-01, $270,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars); NWS zone AKZ224Countywide (zone-level records).
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)289 records, 2000 to 2026 (289 zone-level)Heavy Snow, 2000-12-28, $5,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars); NWS zone AKZ125Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of avalanche, debris flow, lightning, tsunami and volcanic ash, volcanic ashfall.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 9 declarations covering 7 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsNotes
2020-04-092020-01-20DR-4533-AKMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$1,181,512.22Valdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3446-AKEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4533; part of county; Valdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
2012-11-272012-09-15DR-4094-AKMajor disasterSevere Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and LandslidesInland Flooding; Landslide; Strong Windno Public Assistance recordedpart of county; Valdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
2006-12-082006-10-08DR-1669-AKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding; Landslide$128,215.34part of county; Valdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
2006-10-162006-08-15DR-1663-AKMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding; Landslide$1,556.77part of county; Valdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
2002-11-082002-11-03DR-1440-AKMajor disasterEarthquakeEarthquakenone placed in this county by FEMA's record; $271,766.56 for this declaration is not placed in any county (see the state page)Valdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
2000-02-171999-12-21DR-1316-AKMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms and AvalanchesWinter Weather$215,977.24Valdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
1989-05-101989-01-15DR-826-AKMajor disasterSevere FreezingCold Waveno Public Assistance recordedValdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both
1986-10-271986-10-10DR-782-AKMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recordedValdez-Cordova CA AK split into Chugach CA and Copper River CA 2019-01-02; list on both

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1964-03-281964-03-28DR-168-AKMajor disasterEarthquakeEarthquake
1955-12-221955-12-22DR-46-AKMajor disasterSevere HardshipOther, not an NRI hazard; not counted
1954-11-101954-11-10DR-31-AKMajor disasterSevere HardshipOther, not an NRI hazard; not counted
1953-10-301953-10-30DR-13-AKMajor disasterSevere HardshipOther, not an NRI hazard; not counted

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

7 Fire Management declarations (1970-06-26 to 1996-06-05) FEMA filed as Statewide with no county; each names one local fire. Listed on the state page.

Public Assistance not placed in any Alaska county: 40 rows, $21,127,378.43; listed on the Alaska state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Avalanche21201996 to 2026-06-30
Coastal Flooding1001996 to 2026-06-30
Cold Wave11511996 to 2026-06-30
Drought0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Earthquake001Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail2001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm18001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding25541996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0031996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 3 federal declared incidents (see declarations table)
Lightning0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Strong Wind2871211955 to 2026-06-30Includes 287 High Wind records.
Tornado0001950 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1950 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Tsunami0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Volcanic Activity0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Wildfire5201996 to 2026-06-30
Winter Weather2896911996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationWhy listed
2018-10-23Storm Surge/Tide$77,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2018 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ125 (WRN P.W. SND & KENAI MTNS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Coastal Flood, Storm Surge/Tide
2011-03-02High Wind63 kt (72 mph) measured gust$203,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ131 (NERN P.W. SND), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
2008-12-27Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2008 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ224 (UPR TANANA VLY FORTYMILE), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2008-02-02High Wind119 kt (137 mph) measured gust$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2008 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ131 (NERN P.W. SND), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2007-10-30Ice Storm$5,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2007 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ141 (COPPER RIVER BASIN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Ice Storm
2006-10-10Flood$10,000,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2006 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ141 (COPPER RIVER BASIN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2004-08-01Wildfire$270,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2004 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ224 (UPR TANANA VLY FORTYMILE), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Wildfire
2002-01-12Avalanche$6,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2002 dollars)2, 1NWS zone AKZ141 (COPPER RIVER BASIN), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2001-12-12Avalanchedamage not reported1, 1NWS zone AKZ135 (SERN P.W. SND), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2001-03-18Avalanchedamage not reported1, 1NWS zone AKZ141 (COPPER RIVER BASIN), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2001-01-19Avalanche$10,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2001 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ125 (WRN P.W. SND & KENAI MTNS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Avalanche
2000-12-28Heavy Snow$5,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2000 dollars)0, 0NWS zone AKZ125 (WRN P.W. SND & KENAI MTNS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (659 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Avalanche0.767events per yearabout 0.77 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)231994 to 2023 (30 years)see B1-f
Coastal Flooding0.012events per year at a location (modeled)about 0.012 per year at a given location in the countyPossibleStorm Events records in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Cold Wave1.64event-days per yearabout 1.64 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)19.92005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought0event-days per yearnone modeledStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)02000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywideNo Storm Events drought record, 1996 to 2025
Earthquake0.132annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 13.2%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail0.00145events per yearabout 1 in 689 yearsUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)0.1 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Waveevent-days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)2005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events heat wave record, 1996 to 2025
Ice Storm0.0149event-days per yearabout 0.0149 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 8 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (26.7%)01946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.01event-days per yearabout 0.01 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 10 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (33.3%)01996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide76.5events per year (modeled)about 76.5 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning4.46days per year with a strikeabout 4.46 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind0events per yearnone modeledUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)01986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.00000947events per yearabout 1 in 105,600 yearsUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Tsunami0.304annual probability at the most exposed location (used in place of a county value)chance at the county's most exposed location in a year: 30.4%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Volcanic Activity0.0105annual probabilityabout 1 in 95 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Wildfire0.0000102annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.00102%PossibleStorm Events records in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Winter Weather7.51event-days per yearabout 7.51 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 26 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (86.7%)95.72005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 20250300
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20250300
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20250300
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20250300
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Avalanche2 of 293.693.793.8Relatively High 2
Coastal Flooding2 of 272.374.276.1Very Low 2
Cold Wave2 of 216.057.498.9Very High 1, Very Low 1
Drought0 of 2No Rating 2
Earthquake2 of 290.192.394.4Relatively High 2
Hail2 of 20.10.61.0Very Low 2
Heat Wave0 of 2Insufficient Data 2
Ice Storm2 of 22.32.83.2Very Low 2
Inland Flooding2 of 21.93.44.9Very Low 2
Landslide2 of 299.599.799.8Relatively High 2
Lightning2 of 211.518.024.5Relatively Low 1, Very Low 1
Strong Wind0 of 2No Rating 2
Tornado2 of 20.20.20.2Very Low 2
Tsunami2 of 271.575.178.7Relatively Low 2
Volcanic Activity0 of 2No Rating 2
Wildfire2 of 252.654.155.7Very Low 2
Winter Weather2 of 234.265.697.1Very High 1, Relatively Low 1

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, hail, ice storm, lightning and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are.

This county has 2 census tracts; the minimum, median and maximum come from those 2.

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Cordova cityCityApproved, expires 2031-05-21FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$564,526.500 total; 0 since its planIncludes $267,678.57 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4533-AK).
Valdez cityCityExpired on 2024-03-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$825,458.960 total; 0 since its planIncludes $825,458.96 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4533-AK).
Whittier cityCityApproved, expires 2027-08-23FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$108,421.440 total; 0 since its planIncludes $88,374.69 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4533-AK).

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since plancounty-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Avalanche$3,681,397n/a10$9,544n/a$4,927,1260.259%
Coastal Flooding$36,388,348n/a251$478n/a$800.00131%
Cold Wave$532,486,286$03,975$1,966$0$1,092,4020.000369%
Droughtn/a$0n/an/a$0n/aagriculture exposure is 0 in NRI
Earthquake$1,501,505,819n/a7,102$1,715,394n/a$975,8590.114%
Hail$945,499,448$07,011$13$0$3under 0.0001%
Heat Waven/an/an/an/an/an/aNRI publishes no building exposure for this county
Ice Storm$945,499,448n/a7,011$25n/a$478under 0.0001%
Inland Flooding$938,580,078$0193$266,075$0$17n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$70,688,775n/a481$8,510n/a$387,1840.012%
Lightning$945,499,448n/a7,011$170n/a$6,142under 0.0001%
Strong Wind$945,499,448$07,011$0$0$00%
Tornado$945,499,448$07,011under $1$0under $1under 0.0001%
Tsunami$614,122,421n/a1,177$306,656n/a$00.0499%
Volcanic Activity$0n/a0$0n/a$0building exposure is 0 in NRI
Wildfire$214,517,803$01,778$644$0$510.0003%
Winter Weather$945,499,448$07,011$8,300$0$33,0350.000878%

Totals since the plan: not available. No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population7,011
Building value (total, not at risk)$945,499,448
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$0
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$2,317,774
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$7,422,378
Social vulnerability ratingVery Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively Low
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Cordova city0200370000000
Valdez city0200940000000
Whittier city0200970000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Chugach Census Area, AK: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 02063). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ak/02063/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: contact@hazardplain.org