Climate Risk Atlas/AK/Valdez

Valdez, AK Avalanche & Climate Risk Profile

The primary drivers of climate-related financial risk in Valdez, AK are Avalanche, Earthquake, and Cold Wave. This area also faces an unusually high intensity for Landslide and Winter Weather compared to national averages.

City Risk Scorecard
Physical Resilience42/100

Based on FEMA EAL and hazard intensity.

Spatial Analysis

Flood Plain Analysis

Localized Flood Dynamics in Valdez

FEMA Flood Maps for Valdez identify the "100-year" and "500-year" floodplains (1% and 0.2% annual chance), but modern climate risk analysis suggests that nearly 25% of flood insurance claims originate from properties outside of these designated high-risk zones.

Use the map above to better understand risk by looking at both the FEMA flood plain maps and FEMA Risk Inventory maps by census tract. Standard FEMA maps may not account for 'flash flooding' from intense rain events.
FEMA Designation vs. Reality
Very Low
Relative Vulnerability
$69,579
Annualized Property Exposure

Primary Risks

Avalanche

$2,076,517

Expected Annual Loss for Valdez

93.6Score

Relatively High compared to US average

Earthquake

$734,992

Expected Annual Loss for Valdez

94.4Score

Relatively High compared to US average

Cold Wave

$460,369

Expected Annual Loss for Valdez

98.9Score

Very High compared to US average

Financial Risk Inventory

MAJOR DRIVER
Avalanche
$2,076,517
Score: 93.6
MAJOR DRIVER
Earthquake
$734,992
Score: 94.4
MAJOR DRIVER
Cold Wave
$460,369
Score: 98.9
Tsunami
$88,314
Score: 78.7
Inland Flooding
$69,579
Score: 4.9
UNUSUALLY HIGH
Landslide
$38,498
Score: 99.5
UNUSUALLY HIGH
Winter Weather
$16,889
Score: 97.1
Lightning
$804
Score: 11.5
Wildfire
$167
Score: 55.7
Ice Storm
$132
Score: 3.2
Coastal Flooding
$32
Score: 72.3
Hail
$7
Score: 1.0
Tornado
$0
Score: 0.2

Recommended Mitigation Strategies

Recommended investments to protect your property value and reduce insurance liability based on your local risk profile.

🏠Low Investment

Avalanche Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 93.6
🏠Low Investment

Earthquake Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 94.4
🏠Low Investment

Cold Wave Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 98.9
🏠Low Investment

Tsunami Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 78.7
⛰️High Investment

Landslide Mitigation

Professional slope stabilization and foundation drainage inspection is highly recommended.

Risk Score: 99.5
🏠Low Investment

Winter Weather Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 97.1
🔥Low Investment

Wildfire Mitigation

Create a 5ft 'non-combustible' zone around your home using gravel or pavers instead of mulch.

Risk Score: 55.7
🏠Low Investment

Coastal Flooding Mitigation

General property maintenance and insurance review recommended.

Risk Score: 72.3

Sources and Methodology

Spatial Climate Risk Modeling

The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) and hazard risk scores are derived from the FEMA NRI zip code dataset using a population-weighted spatial join. Because Zip Codes and Census Tracts do not share perfectly aligned boundaries, we utilize US Census Block Group population centroids to identify where residents actually live.

Financial & Insurance Metrics

The pysical resilence score is calculated by synthesizing Expected Annual Loss (EAL) against the total building replacement value within a jurisdiction. This creates a "Loss Ratio" that measures physical resilience. We supplement this with ZIP-code level data from the U.S. Treasury's Federal Insurance Office (FIO), monitoring trends in premium growth, loss ratios, and policy non-renewals to identify emerging "Insurance Deserts."

Primary Data Sources

Nearby Cities

Cordova

Zip Codes in Valdez

99686