FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Massachusetts · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Berkshire County, MA
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2023–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 84
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Berkshire County in the top 16% 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 Berkshire County compare?
- Berkshire County
- 1
- Massachusetts county avg
- 1.6
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Berkshire County?
Berkshire County, Massachusetts has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2023, of which 0 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 36% below the Massachusetts county average of 1.6 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. 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, Hurricane carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Taken together, Berkshire 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. Massachusetts Avg
-36%
State avg: 1.6
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Berkshire County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Berkshire 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
25003
MA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3599 | HURRICANE LEE | EM | Hurricane | 2023-09-15 |
Storm Events in Massachusetts
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,259 | 2 | 7 | $13.4M |
| Strong Wind | 1,063 | 4 | 8 | $3.3M |
| High Wind | 740 | 3 | 10 | $10.8M |
| Flood | 563 | 0 | 0 | $4.0M |
| Winter Weather | 405 | 1 | 14 | $1.4M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
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
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) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Massachusetts
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Berkshire County, Massachusetts had?
Berkshire County, Massachusetts has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2023.
What is the most common disaster type in Berkshire County?
The most common disaster type in Berkshire County is Hurricane, with 1 declaration.
How does Berkshire County's disaster risk compare to the Massachusetts average?
Berkshire County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 36% lower than the Massachusetts county average of 1.6 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Massachusetts?
The most common storm types in Massachusetts include Thunderstorm Wind (2,259 events), Strong Wind (1,063 events), High Wind (740 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Berkshire County?
Berkshire 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 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). 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 $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 Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Low) and Strong Wind (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 Berkshire County
Berkshire County, MA has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 36% below the Massachusetts county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Massachusetts 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.