FEMA Records
23
Above median
Massachusetts · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Berkshire County, MA
23 FEMA disaster declarations (1986-2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Snowstorm.
- 23
- FEMA declarations
- 11
- Major disasters
- 84
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Snowstorm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Berkshire County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 23 declarations, more than 62% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 20% below the Massachusetts county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 16%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 16%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 23
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 388
- 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 25003 · Berkshire County 23 declarations · rank 1162/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-HEAVY 23
- MAJOR-LIGHT 48%
- RANK-LOWER #1,162
- PHOTO-FINISH Roanoke
- NRI-MID 84
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Snowstorm
- VS-ST-BELOW -20%
Nearest declaration peer: Roanoke, VA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Massachusetts state profile
Berkshire County in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among Berkshire County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Amherst · near 23
Amherst · near
23 declarations
- Berkshire · this county 23
Berkshire · this county
23 declarations
- Roanoke · near 23
Roanoke · near
23 declarations
- Vance · near 23
Vance · near
23 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Berkshire County carries 23 FEMA declaration records, ranked 1162 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How Berkshire County's FEMA declaration count compares nationally
Berkshire County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Berkshire County
23 Top 38% higher than 62% 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
Berkshire County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Berkshire County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 388 paid claims, totaling $3.1M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $7.9K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Massachusetts county averages 28.8 federal declaration records, while Berkshire County has 23. The gap is 20% 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 sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 84.0/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $51.8M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Riverine Flooding carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 2.6 times per year here, based on 74 historical events on record.
54 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Berkshire County, MA · 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
17/30
23 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.1x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
10/25
23 declarations (0.8x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
12/25
11 of 23 declarations are major disasters (48%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Berkshire County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Berkshire 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
48%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
84
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Berkshire 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.6 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 13 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 1.2 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.8 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.2 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 4.3 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 949 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 26 times per year |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 22 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 3.1 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 1.7 modeled event-days per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 21,825 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 0.7 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Snowstorm 7
Hurricane 6
Severe Storm 6
Biological 2
Severe Ice Storm 1
Flood 1
What Snowstorm declarations mean here
Snowstorm is the most frequent declaration type on Berkshire County's record, 30% of its declarations. Snow-related declarations work on a narrower basis than most other hazards: they are generally issued to reimburse the cost of snow removal and emergency protective measures, rather than to repair destroyed property.
The qualifying test is unusual too. FEMA assesses snowfall against record levels for the affected area, so the same storm total can qualify in a county where it is historically extreme and not qualify a few hundred miles north where it is an ordinary winter. A low snowstorm declaration count is therefore not evidence of mild winters.
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).
Emergency - 12 52.2%
of all 23 declarations
Major Disaster - 11 47.8%
of all 23 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1987 | 1 | |
Show 1 earlier declaration years
| 1986 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 23 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 23 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3599 | HURRICANE LEE | EM | Hurricane | 2023-09-15 |
| 4496 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3438 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4110 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-04-19 |
| 3350 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 4051 | SEVERE STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-01-06 |
| 3343 | SEVERE STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2011-11-01 |
| 4028 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-03 |
| 3330 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-26 |
| 1959 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2011-03-07 |
| 1813 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2009-01-05 |
| 3296 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-12-13 |
| 1701 | SEVERE STORMS AND INLAND AND COASTAL FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-16 |
| 1614 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-11-10 |
| 3252 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 3201 | RECORD AND/OR NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
| 3191 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2004-01-15 |
| 3175 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-11 |
| 3165 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-03-28 |
| 1090 | BLIZZARD OF 96 | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-24 |
Show 3 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3103 | BLIZZARDS, HIGH WINDS & RECORD SNOWFALL | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
| 790 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1987-04-18 |
| 751 | HURRICANE GLORIA | DR | Hurricane | 1985-10-28 |
Storm Events in Massachusetts
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Berkshire County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,101 | 2 | 7 | $13.2M |
| Strong Wind | 1,019 | 4 | 8 | $3.2M |
| High Wind | 722 | 3 | 10 | $10.8M |
| Flood | 563 | 0 | 0 | $4.0M |
| Winter Weather | 390 | 1 | 14 | $1.4M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
388
Total Paid
$3.1M
Avg Per Claim
$7.9K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 84.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$51.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Drought Very Low
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: Riverine Flooding
Riverine Flooding is the model's measure of a watershed draining more water than its channel can carry. Unlike flash flooding it usually builds over days and is forecast in advance, which makes it the hazard where warning time most reliably converts into reduced harm.
Worth noting for Berkshire County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Riverine Flooding carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Moderate), while the county's declaration history is led by Snowstorm. 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
Berkshire County's closest FEMA peer: Iredell County, NC
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Berkshire County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Berkshire County shows 23 FEMA declarations, led by Snowstorm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Berkshire County: 11 of 23 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Berkshire County: NRI composite 84.0 (Relatively Moderate).
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 Berkshire County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Berkshire 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: 84.0 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 23. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Berkshire County's NFIP claims file (388 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 Berkshire County?
The most common disaster type in Berkshire County is Snowstorm, with 7 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (6), Severe Storm (6), Biological (2).
How does Berkshire County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Massachusetts average?
The typical Massachusetts county has 28.8 FEMA declaration records; Berkshire County has 23, or 20% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 11% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Berkshire County received?
Berkshire County has received 11 major disaster declarations, representing 48% of all 23 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Berkshire County filed?
Berkshire County has 388 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $3.1M in payments, with an average of $7.9K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Berkshire County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Berkshire County was 2011, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1986 to 2023.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Berkshire County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Berkshire County, Massachusetts has an overall risk score of 84.0 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Moderate; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $51.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Berkshire County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Berkshire County is Riverine Flooding (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Moderate) and Landslide (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts riverine flooding here at an average of 2.6 times per year, drawn from 74 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 Berkshire County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Massachusetts profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events