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?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Massachusetts county average and the national county average.
- 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. 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 Hurricane, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Moderate (composite score 84.0/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $51.8M 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 Hurricane (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 Berkshire County at a very 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 Berkshire County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
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
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.
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
Breakdown of 1 FEMA disaster declarations in Berkshire County by incident type.
Hurricane 1
Declaration Types
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
Disaster declarations per year for Berkshire County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3599 | HURRICANE LEE | EM | Hurricane | 2023-09-15 |
Storm Events in Massachusetts
NOAA severe weather data for Massachusetts (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| 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
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Berkshire County.
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
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Berkshire County.
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
Other Massachusetts counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
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?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Berkshire County has a very low disaster risk level with 1 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →