FEMA Records
6
Low volume
Alaska · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Aleutians West Census Area, AK
6 FEMA disaster declarations (2005-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 6
- FEMA declarations
- 5
- Major disasters
- 67
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Start with the local benchmark for Aleutians West Census Area: 6 FEMA declaration records are 17% below the Alaska county mean, even though the count is higher than 3% of counties in the national registry. On FEMA's distinct National Risk Index model, which combines expected loss with vulnerability and resilience, the county ranks in the riskiest 33%.
- Riskiest 33%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 6
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 3
- severe storm declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Aleutians West Census Area compare?
Aleutians West Census Area vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
6 3rd percentile higher than 3% of 3,266 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Aleutians West Census Area's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Alaska county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Aleutians West Census Area is led by Tsunami (about $19.9M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Volcanic Activity carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Aleutians West Census Area's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 67.3/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $29.3M in annualized losses), and a Relatively Low social-vulnerability profile combined with Very Low community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Volcanic Activity stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 6 years here, based on 30 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The state comparison is the clearest context for Aleutians West Census Area's moderate federal record. Its 6 declarations sit 17% below the Alaska county mean, with 5 Major Disaster entries among them. 3 records concern Severe Storm, the file's most frequent incident type. Spread across 21 years, the registry rate is 0.3 per year. FEMA reports authorized programs separately from the DR, EM, and FM codes.
Reading the federal records together
No paid-claim row for this county appears in the NFIP county table used by PlainHazard. That absence is not evidence that flooding never occurred: the register observes claims under federal flood-insurance policies, not uninsured losses, emergency reports, or every flood outside the program. The FEMA declaration history below is therefore the available federal-action record on this page.
Start with the state benchmark: a Alaska county averages 7.2 federal declaration records, while Aleutians West Census Area has 6. The gap is 17% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
43 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Aleutians West Census Area, AK · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Low
4/30
6 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
10/25
6 declarations (0.8x state county average of 7)
Major Disaster Share Very High
21/25
5 of 6 declarations are major disasters (83%)
Hazard Diversity Moderate
8/20
3 different disaster types declared in Aleutians West Census Area
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
Moderate
vs. Alaska Avg
-17%
State avg: 7.2
vs. National Avg
-71%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.3
Over 21 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Aleutians West Census Area
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
83%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
67
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Aleutians West Census Area?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively High | roughly once every 6 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Tsunami | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 3 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 4 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 30 years |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | an average of 3 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 67 years |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 107 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 21,756 years |
| Lightning | Very Low | an average of 1.2 times per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 3
Biological 2
Flood 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Aleutians West Census Area's record, 50% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 5 83.3%
of all 6 declarations
Emergency - 1 16.7%
of all 6 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 6 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 6 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4893 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND REMNANTS OF TYPHOON HALONG | DR | Flood | 2025-10-22 |
| 4672 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-09-23 |
| 4533 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-09 |
| 3446 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4257 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-02-17 |
| 1571 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, TIDAL SURGES AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-11-15 |
Storm Events in Alaska
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Aleutians West Census Area.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 709 | 0 | 1 | $8.4M |
| Blizzard | 524 | 0 | 0 | $60.0K |
| Heavy Snow | 439 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Storm | 385 | 0 | 0 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 182 | 0 | 0 | $81.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 67.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$29.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Volcanic Activity Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Tsunami Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Coastal Flooding No Rating
Drought No Rating
Hail No Rating
Riverine Flooding No Rating
Strong Wind No Rating
Wildfire No Rating
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Volcanic Activity
Volcanic Activity is the rarest hazard in the model and the most locally determined. Its modeled exposure follows proximity to specific known systems rather than any regional pattern.
Worth noting for Aleutians West Census Area: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Volcanic Activity carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Severe Storm. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Aleutians West Census Area's closest FEMA peer: Mower County, MN
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Aleutians West Census Area. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Aleutians West Census Area: NRI composite 67.3 (Relatively Low).
Similar Major-disaster share
Aleutians West Census Area: 5 of 6 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Aleutians West Census Area shows 6 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Aleutians West Census Area - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
FEMA's National Risk Index flags Volcanic Activity as the top modeled exposure here (Relatively High); the guide explains how that model differs from declaration counts.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Aleutians West Census Area?
The most common disaster type in Aleutians West Census Area is Severe Storm, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Flood (1).
How does Aleutians West Census Area's FEMA declaration record compare with the Alaska average?
The typical Alaska county has 7.2 FEMA declaration records; Aleutians West Census Area has 6, or 17% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 71% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Aleutians West Census Area received?
Aleutians West Census Area has received 5 major disaster declarations, representing 83% of all 6 disaster declarations.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Aleutians West Census Area?
No. In Aleutians West Census Area, Volcanic Activity has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Tsunami leads Expected Annual Loss at about $19.9M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Aleutians West Census Area?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Aleutians West Census Area was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2005 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Aleutians West Census Area?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska has an overall risk score of 67.3 out of 100 (Relatively Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $29.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Aleutians West Census Area?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Aleutians West Census Area as of the latest release is Volcanic Activity (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively Low) and Tsunami (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts volcanic activity here at roughly once every 6 years, drawn from 30 historical events on record. 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 Aleutians West Census Area
Against a Alaska county mean of 7 declarations, Aleutians West Census Area, AK records 6, or 17% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as moderate activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (5 of 6) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Alaska overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 3% of recorded county totals, but its own Alaska benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- With no NFIP county row, the declaration register and modeled NRI remain distinct evidence rather than substitutes for a claims history. Disaster-data guide
A below-average federal record is not a safety guarantee. Use National Weather Service alerts and local emergency-management notices for present conditions, not this historical comparison.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. 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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.