FEMA Records
5
Total declarations
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Alpine County, CA
5 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 5
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 11
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Alpine County in the top 89% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 72% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Alpine County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the California county average and the national county average.
- Alpine County
- 5
- California county avg
- 6.9
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Alpine County?
Alpine County, California has recorded 5 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2023, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.7 declarations per year across a 3-year record, or roughly 27% below the California county average of 6.9 and 34% above the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Flood, with 2 of 5 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 10.6/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $4.8M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Moderate and community resilience scores Relatively Moderate — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Avalanche (Relatively High).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Alpine County at a moderate relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Alpine County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. California Avg
-27%
State avg: 6.9
vs. National Avg
+34%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.7
Over 3 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Alpine County
The radar plots Alpine 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.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
06003
CA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 5 FEMA disaster declarations in Alpine County by incident type.
Flood 2
Severe Storm 1
Fire 1
Biological 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 3 60.0%
of all 5 declarations
Emergency — 2 40.0%
of all 5 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Alpine County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 5 FEMA disaster declarations for Alpine County, California.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4699 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-03 |
| 3592 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-03-10 |
| 4683 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-01-14 |
| 3571 | CALDOR FIRE | EM | Fire | 2021-09-01 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
Storm Events in California
NOAA severe weather data for California (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,403 | 14 | 29 | $228.9M |
| Flood | 3,518 | 32 | 31 | $990.7M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,916 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Dense Fog | 1,665 | 55 | 150 | $2.8M |
| Strong Wind | 1,482 | 40 | 43 | $15.7M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Alpine County.
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 10.6/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$4.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Alpine County.
Avalanche Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Hail Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Cold Wave No Rating
Drought No Rating
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 California
Other California counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Alpine County, California had?
Alpine County, California has received 5 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2023. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Alpine County?
The most common disaster type in Alpine County is Flood, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (1), Fire (1), Biological (1).
How does Alpine County's disaster risk compare to the California average?
Alpine County has 5 disaster declarations, which is 27% lower than the California county average of 6.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 34% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Alpine County received?
Alpine County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 60% of all 5 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in California?
The most common storm types in California include High Wind (4,403 events), Flood (3,518 events), Heavy Snow (1,916 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Alpine County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Alpine County was 2023, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2023.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Alpine County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Alpine County has a moderate disaster risk level with 5 total declarations. This county has a moderate number of disaster declarations.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Alpine County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Alpine County, California has an overall risk score of 10.6 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $4.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Alpine County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Alpine County is Avalanche (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Moderate) and Landslide (Relatively Low). 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 Alpine County
Alpine County, CA has 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a moderate historical disaster load, 27% below the California county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 5) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. California 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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →