FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Idaho · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Ada County, ID
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Biological.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 88
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Biological
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Ada County in the top 12% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Ada County compare?
- Ada County
- 1
- Idaho county avg
- 1.7
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Ada County?
Ada County, Idaho has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2020, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 41% below the Idaho county average of 1.7 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Biological, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 87.8/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $115.6M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Winter Weather stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Taken together, Ada County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Idaho Avg
-41%
State avg: 1.7
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Ada County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Ada County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
16001
ID state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Biological 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4534 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-09 |
Storm Events in Idaho
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,548 | 1 | 13 | $100.9M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,301 | 9 | 29 | $4.1M |
| Winter Storm | 512 | 4 | 15 | $1.0M |
| High Wind | 487 | 5 | 6 | $12.1M |
| Winter Weather | 337 | 10 | 15 | $2.0M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 87.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$115.6M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Winter Weather Very High
Wildfire Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Landslide Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Drought Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Idaho
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Ada County, Idaho had?
Ada County, Idaho has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2020. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Ada County?
The most common disaster type in Ada County is Biological, with 1 declaration.
How does Ada County's disaster risk compare to the Idaho average?
Ada County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 41% lower than the Idaho county average of 1.7 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Ada County received?
Ada County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Idaho?
The most common storm types in Idaho include Heavy Snow (1,548 events), Thunderstorm Wind (1,301 events), Winter Storm (512 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Ada County?
Ada County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Ada County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Ada County, Idaho has an overall risk score of 87.8 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $115.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Ada County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Ada County is Winter Weather (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively High) and Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Ada County
Ada County, ID has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 41% below the Idaho county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Idaho overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.