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North Dakota · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Bottineau County, ND

1 FEMA disaster declarations (2022–2022), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.

1
FEMA declarations
1
Major disasters
19
NRI risk · Very Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

The verdict

Bottineau County ranks safer than 19% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 0% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Very Low, based on 1 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2022, most often severe storm, 74% below the national county average of 4.

Safer than 19%
of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
Very Low
FEMA National Risk Index rating
1
FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
1
severe storm declarations, the most common hazard here

FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.

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How does Bottineau County compare?

Bottineau County vs. every U.S. county

FEMA disaster declarations, all-time

1 0th percentile higher than 0% of 2,791 counties

This county 0 30 all U.S. counties FEMA tracks, bucketed by value

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 · 2026-07-25

Bottineau County's FEMA Risk Index score

FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the North Dakota county average

0/100100/100North Dakota avg23/10018.7/100
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the North Dakota county average

How disaster-prone is Bottineau County?

Declaration frequency

Bottineau County, North Dakota has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2022 and 2022, of which 1 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 64% below the North Dakota county average of 2.8 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.

FEMA National Risk Index

This county's FEMA National Risk Index composite lands at 18.7/100 (Very Low), a modest reading against the rest of the country. Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $7.4M in annualized losses), tempered or compounded by a Relatively Low social-vulnerability score and Relatively Moderate community-resilience score. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Winter Weather stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.

Flood exposure & the bottom line

Taken together, Bottineau 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. North Dakota Avg

-64%

State avg: 2.8

vs. National Avg

-74%

National avg: 3.8

Avg Per Year

-

-

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Bottineau County

Bottineau County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 0, Tornado 8, Wildfire 25, Drought 25, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 70. Overall composite 18 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 18 composite
Bottineau County NRI risk profile FIPS 38009 · composite 18/100 (Low)
How to read this radar

The radar plots Bottineau 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.

FEMA Records

1

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

38009

ND state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Severe Storm 1

Declaration Types

What DR / EM / FM mean

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Major Disaster - 1 100.0%

of all 1 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Year Declarations
2022 1

Disaster Declarations

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4660 SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2022-07-13

Storm Events in North Dakota

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 3,093 3 11 $84.1M
Hail 3,091 0 2 $131.5M
High Wind 1,553 2 2 $3.1M
Blizzard 1,238 4 4 $120.0M
Heavy Snow 1,119 0 3 $650.0K

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 18.7/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$7.4M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Low

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Winter Weather Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Tornado Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Heat Wave 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 North Dakota

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Bottineau County, North Dakota had?
Bottineau County, North Dakota has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2022 to 2022. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Bottineau County?
The most common disaster type in Bottineau County is Severe Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Bottineau County's disaster risk compare to the North Dakota average?
Bottineau County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 64% lower than the North Dakota county average of 2.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Bottineau County received?
Bottineau County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in North Dakota?
The most common storm types in North Dakota include Thunderstorm Wind (3,093 events), Hail (3,091 events), High Wind (1,553 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Bottineau County?
Bottineau 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 Bottineau County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Bottineau County, North Dakota has an overall risk score of 18.7 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $7.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Bottineau County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Bottineau County is Winter Weather (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Low) and Ice Storm (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 Bottineau County

Bottineau County, ND runs 64% below the North Dakota county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 3), a very low historical load overall.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. North Dakota 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.

All federal data sources used on this page
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 national statistics report, or report a data error.