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Beltrami County, MN

2 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2022), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Flood.

2
FEMA declarations
2
Major disasters
61
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Flood
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Beltrami County in the top 39% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 22% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Beltrami County compare?

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

Beltrami County
2
Minnesota county avg
1.9
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Beltrami County?

Beltrami County, Minnesota has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2022, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.0 declarations per year across a 2-year record, or roughly 7% above the Minnesota county average of 1.9 and 47% 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 Flood, with 1 of 2 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 60.6/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $20.1M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Moderate and community resilience scores Very High — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Winter Weather (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 Beltrami 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 Beltrami County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Low

vs. Minnesota Avg

+7%

State avg: 1.9

vs. National Avg

-47%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

1.0

Over 2 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Beltrami County

Beltrami County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 0, Tornado 25, Wildfire 25, Drought 25, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 20 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 20 composite
Beltrami County NRI risk profile FIPS 27007 · composite 20/100 (Low)

The radar plots Beltrami 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

2

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

27007

MN state code

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

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 2 FEMA disaster declarations in Beltrami County by incident type.

Flood 1
Biological 1

Declaration Types

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

Major Disaster — 2 100.0%

of all 2 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Beltrami County.

Year Declarations
2022 1
2020 1

Disaster Declarations

All 2 FEMA disaster declarations for Beltrami County, Minnesota.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4659 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING DR Flood 2022-07-13
4531 COVID-19 PANDEMIC DR Biological 2020-04-07

Storm Events in Minnesota

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

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 4,835 13 26 $84.5M
Hail 4,465 0 0 $34.5M
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill 2,009 7 4 $55.0K
Winter Storm 1,812 2 20 $10.1M
Heavy Snow 1,302 10 14 $1.0M

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 Beltrami County.

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 60.6/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Low

$20.1M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Moderate

Community Resilience

Very High

Hazard Risk Breakdown

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

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

Other Minnesota counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Beltrami County, Minnesota had?
Beltrami County, Minnesota has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2022. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Beltrami County?
The most common disaster type in Beltrami County is Flood, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Biological (1).
How does Beltrami County's disaster risk compare to the Minnesota average?
Beltrami County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 7% higher than the Minnesota county average of 1.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 47% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Beltrami County received?
Beltrami County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 2 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Minnesota?
The most common storm types in Minnesota include Thunderstorm Wind (4,835 events), Hail (4,465 events), Extreme Cold/Wind Chill (2,009 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Beltrami County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Beltrami County was 2020, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2022.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Beltrami County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Beltrami County has a low disaster risk level with 2 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Beltrami County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Beltrami County, Minnesota has an overall risk score of 60.6 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $20.1M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Beltrami County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Beltrami County is Winter Weather (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Low) and Cold 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 Beltrami County

Beltrami County, MN has 2 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a low historical disaster load, 7% above the Minnesota county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 2) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Minnesota 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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

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