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Arkansas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Arkansas County, AR

3 FEMA disaster declarations (2024–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.

3
FEMA declarations
1
Major disasters
63
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Arkansas County in the top 37% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 42% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Arkansas County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Arkansas county average and the national county average.

Arkansas County
3
Arkansas county avg
3.1
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Arkansas County?

Arkansas County, Arkansas has recorded 3 FEMA disaster declarations between 2024 and 2026, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.5 declarations per year across a 2-year record, or roughly 5% below the Arkansas county average of 3.1 and 20% below 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 Severe Storm, with 2 of 3 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 63.2/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $16.2M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very High 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 Earthquake (Relatively Moderate).

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 Arkansas County at a low 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 Arkansas County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Low

vs. Arkansas Avg

-5%

State avg: 3.1

vs. National Avg

-20%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

1.5

Over 2 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Arkansas County

Arkansas County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 48, Flood 0, Hurricane 25, Tornado 48, Wildfire 8, Drought 48, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 31 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 31 composite
Arkansas County NRI risk profile FIPS 05001 · composite 31/100 (Moderate)

The radar plots Arkansas 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.

FEMA Records

3

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

05001

AR state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 3 FEMA disaster declarations in Arkansas County by incident type.

Severe Storm 2
Winter Storm 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Emergency - 2 66.7%

of all 3 declarations

Major Disaster - 1 33.3%

of all 3 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Arkansas County.

Year Declarations
2026 1
2025 1
2024 1

Disaster Declarations

All 3 FEMA disaster declarations for Arkansas County, Arkansas.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3636 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-24
3627 SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING EM Severe Storm 2025-04-05
4748 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES DR Severe Storm 2023-11-14

Storm Events in Arkansas

NOAA severe weather data for Arkansas (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 3,958 11 29 $61.8M
Hail 2,443 0 0 $8.4M
Flash Flood 1,661 12 3 $16.0M
Heat 1,501 2 325 $0
Flood 1,266 9 0 $40.2M

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 Arkansas County.

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 63.2/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Low

$16.2M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very High

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Arkansas County.

Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Wildfire 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 Arkansas

Other Arkansas counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Arkansas County, Arkansas had?
Arkansas County, Arkansas has received 3 FEMA disaster declarations from 2024 to 2026. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Arkansas County?
The most common disaster type in Arkansas County is Severe Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Winter Storm (1).
How does Arkansas County's disaster risk compare to the Arkansas average?
Arkansas County has 3 disaster declarations, which is 5% lower than the Arkansas county average of 3.1 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 20% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Arkansas County received?
Arkansas County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 33% of all 3 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Arkansas?
The most common storm types in Arkansas include Thunderstorm Wind (3,958 events), Hail (2,443 events), Flash Flood (1,661 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Arkansas County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Arkansas County was 2024, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2024 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Arkansas County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Arkansas County has a low disaster risk level with 3 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Arkansas County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Arkansas County, Arkansas has an overall risk score of 63.2 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $16.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Arkansas County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Arkansas County is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Strong Wind (Relatively Moderate) and Ice Storm (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 Arkansas County

Arkansas County, AR has 3 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 5% below the Arkansas county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (2 of 3) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Arkansas 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.

All federal data sources used on this page
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.