FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
Minnesota · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Big Stone County, MN
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 9
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Big Stone County in the top 91% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 59% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Big Stone County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Minnesota county average and the national county average.
- Big Stone County
- 4
- Minnesota county avg
- 1.9
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Big Stone County?
Big Stone County, Minnesota has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2023, of which 4 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.3 declarations per year across a 3-year record, or roughly 115% above the Minnesota county average of 1.9 and 7% above 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 Severe Storm, with 2 of 4 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 8.5/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $4.4M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Low and community resilience scores Relatively High — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Cold Wave (Relatively Low).
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 Big Stone 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 Big Stone County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Low
vs. Minnesota Avg
+115%
State avg: 1.9
vs. National Avg
+7%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.3
Over 3 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Big Stone County
The radar plots Big Stone 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
27011
MN state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 4 FEMA disaster declarations in Big Stone County by incident type.
Severe Storm 2
Flood 1
Biological 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 4 100.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Big Stone County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 4 FEMA disaster declarations for Big Stone County, Minnesota.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4722 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2023-07-19 |
| 4666 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-08-09 |
| 4658 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-07-08 |
| 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 Big Stone County.
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 8.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$4.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Big Stone County.
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Drought Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Lightning 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
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Big Stone County, Minnesota had?
Big Stone County, Minnesota has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2023. Of these, 4 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Big Stone County?
The most common disaster type in Big Stone County is Severe Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (1), Biological (1).
How does Big Stone County's disaster risk compare to the Minnesota average?
Big Stone County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 115% higher than the Minnesota county average of 1.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Big Stone County received?
Big Stone County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 4 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 Big Stone County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Big Stone County was 2022, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2023.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Big Stone County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Big Stone County has a low disaster risk level with 4 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Big Stone County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Big Stone County, Minnesota has an overall risk score of 8.5 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $4.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Big Stone County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Big Stone County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate) and Hail (Relatively Low). 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 Big Stone County
Big Stone County, MN has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a low historical disaster load, 115% above the Minnesota county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (4 of 4) — 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.
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
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