FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Idaho · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Bear Lake County, ID
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Biological.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 7
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Biological
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Bear Lake County in the top 93% 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 Bear Lake County compare?
- Bear Lake County
- 1
- Idaho county avg
- 1.7
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Bear Lake County?
Bear Lake 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. FEMA's National Risk Index places this county in the low end of the national distribution, composite score 6.6/100 (Very Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $4.9M in annualized losses). Two modifiers shape how that exposure becomes real-world harm here: social vulnerability (Very Low) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate). Among the 18 modeled hazards, Avalanche carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Taken together, Bear Lake 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 - Bear Lake County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Bear Lake 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
16007
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
Very Low
Score: 6.6/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$4.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Avalanche Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Wildfire Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Drought Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Hail Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Tornado 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 Bear Lake County, Idaho had?
Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake County?
The most common disaster type in Bear Lake County is Biological, with 1 declaration.
How does Bear Lake County's disaster risk compare to the Idaho average?
Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake County received?
Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake County?
Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Bear Lake County, Idaho has an overall risk score of 6.6 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $4.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Bear Lake County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Bear Lake County is Avalanche (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Low) and Wildfire (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 Bear Lake County
Bear Lake 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.