FEMA Records
21
Above median
Vermont · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Bennington County, VT
21 FEMA disaster declarations (1973-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 21
- FEMA declarations
- 15
- Major disasters
- 52
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Bennington County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 21 declarations, more than 52% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 27% below the Vermont county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 48%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 48%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 21
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 112
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 50003 · Bennington County 21 declarations · rank 1545/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-HEAVY 21
- MAJOR-MID 71%
- RANK-LOWER #1,545
- PHOTO-FINISH Montgomery
- NRI-LOW 52
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-BELOW -27%
Nearest declaration peer: Montgomery, IN (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Vermont state profile
Bennington County in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among Bennington County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Atascosa · near 21
Atascosa · near
21 declarations
- Bennington · this county 21
Bennington · this county
21 declarations
- Mason · near 21
Mason · near
21 declarations
- Montgomery · near 21
Montgomery · near
21 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Bennington County carries 21 FEMA declaration records, ranked 1545 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How Bennington County's FEMA declaration count compares nationally
Bennington County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Bennington County
21 Top 48% higher than 52% 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 · 2026-08-25
Bennington County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Bennington County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $11.6M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Cold Wave carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate). 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 Bennington County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 112 paid claims, totaling $1.5M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $13.7K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Vermont county averages 28.8 federal declaration records, while Bennington County has 21. The gap is 27% 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.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 52.3/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $18.8M in annualized losses), and a Relatively Low social-vulnerability profile combined with Relatively High community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Cold Wave carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 4.1 times per year here, based on 78 historical events on record.
60 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Bennington County, VT · 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) High
15/30
21 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.0x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
9/25
21 declarations (0.7x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share High
18/25
15 of 21 declarations are major disasters (71%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Bennington County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Bennington County
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
71%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
52
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Bennington County?
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; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 4.1 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | roughly once every 16 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | an average of 1.6 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 24 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 1,105 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 24 times per year |
| Hail | Very Low | an average of 2.6 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 1.5 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 45,399 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | an average of 1.4 times per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 7
Severe Storm 6
Hurricane 3
Biological 2
Tropical Storm 1
Severe Ice Storm 1
Snowstorm 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Bennington County's record, 33% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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 - 15 71.4%
of all 21 declarations
Emergency - 6 28.6%
of all 21 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 21 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 21 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3609 | TROPICAL DEPRESSION DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-08 |
| 4720 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-07-14 |
| 3595 | FLOODING | EM | Flood | 2023-07-10 |
| 4621 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2021-09-29 |
| 3567 | TROPICAL STORM HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-22 |
| 4532 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-08 |
| 3437 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4445 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2019-06-14 |
| 4330 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-08-16 |
| 4022 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-01 |
| 3338 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-29 |
| 1816 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2009-01-14 |
| 1698 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-04 |
| 1488 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-09-12 |
| 3167 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-04-10 |
| 1358 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-01-18 |
| 1336 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-07-27 |
| 1307 | TROPICAL STORM FLOYD | DR | Severe Storm | 1999-11-10 |
| 1101 | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-13 |
| 518 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1976-08-05 |
Show 1 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 397 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, & LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 1973-07-06 |
Storm Events in Vermont
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Bennington County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | 882 | 7 | 0 | $2.8M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 694 | 3 | 4 | $7.1M |
| Winter Storm | 646 | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Strong Wind | 352 | 0 | 0 | $5.7M |
| Flash Flood | 170 | 5 | 1 | $190.0M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
112
Total Paid
$1.5M
Avg Per Claim
$13.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 52.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$18.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Hurricane Relatively Low
Avalanche Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Drought 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: Cold Wave
Cold Wave measures exposure to extreme cold rather than to snow. Its harm is concentrated in health effects, burst infrastructure and energy demand spikes, and it falls hardest where the building stock and the grid were not built with sustained cold in mind.
Worth noting for Bennington County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Cold Wave carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Moderate), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. 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
Bennington County's closest FEMA peer: Monongalia County, WV
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Bennington County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Bennington County shows 21 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Bennington County: 15 of 21 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Bennington County: NRI composite 52.3 (Relatively Low).
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 Bennington County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Bennington County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 52.3 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 21. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Bennington County's NFIP claims file (112 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Bennington County?
The most common disaster type in Bennington County is Flood, with 7 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (6), Hurricane (3), Biological (2).
How does Bennington County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Vermont average?
The typical Vermont county has 28.8 FEMA declaration records; Bennington County has 21, or 27% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 1% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Bennington County received?
Bennington County has received 15 major disaster declarations, representing 71% of all 21 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Bennington County filed?
Bennington County has 112 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.5M in payments, with an average of $13.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Bennington County?
No. In Bennington County, Cold Wave has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $11.6M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Bennington County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Bennington County was 2000, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1973 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Bennington County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Bennington County, Vermont has an overall risk score of 52.3 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Low, while community resilience comes in at Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $18.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Bennington County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Bennington County as of the latest release is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Low) and Hurricane (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 4.1 times per year, drawn from 78 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.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Bennington County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Vermont profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events