FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
South Dakota · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Buffalo County, SD
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2024–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 14
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Buffalo County ranks safer than 14% 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 2024, most often flood, 74% below the national county average of 4.
- Safer than 14%
- 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
- flood 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.
How does Buffalo County compare?
Buffalo County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
1 0th percentile higher than 0% of 2,791 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 · 2026-07-25
Buffalo County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the South Dakota county average
How disaster-prone is Buffalo County?
Declaration frequency
Buffalo County, South Dakota has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2024 and 2024, 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 40% below the South Dakota county average of 1.7 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Flood, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's National Risk Index places this county in the low end of the national distribution, composite score 13.7/100 (Very Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $4.2M in annualized losses). Two modifiers shape how that exposure becomes real-world harm here: social vulnerability (Relatively High) and community resilience (Very Low). Among the 18 modeled hazards, Cold Wave carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Buffalo 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. South Dakota Avg
-40%
State avg: 1.7
vs. National Avg
-74%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Buffalo County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Buffalo 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
46017
SD state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Flood 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4807 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-08-15 |
Storm Events in South Dakota
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,902 | 11 | 21 | $10.9M |
| Hail | 5,580 | 0 | 3 | $4.5M |
| High Wind | 3,123 | 0 | 1 | $35.0K |
| Winter Weather | 2,469 | 24 | 54 | $133.0K |
| Flood | 1,656 | 6 | 0 | $196.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 13.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$4.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Lightning 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 South Dakota
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Buffalo County, South Dakota had?
Buffalo County, South Dakota has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2024 to 2024. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Buffalo County?
The most common disaster type in Buffalo County is Flood, with 1 declaration.
How does Buffalo County's disaster risk compare to the South Dakota average?
Buffalo County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 40% lower than the South Dakota county average of 1.7 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Buffalo County received?
Buffalo 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 South Dakota?
The most common storm types in South Dakota include Thunderstorm Wind (6,902 events), Hail (5,580 events), High Wind (3,123 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Buffalo County?
Buffalo 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 Buffalo County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Buffalo County, South Dakota has an overall risk score of 13.7 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $4.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Buffalo County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Buffalo County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Low) and Winter Weather (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 Buffalo County
Buffalo County, SD runs 40% below the South Dakota county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 2), 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. South 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. 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 national statistics report, or report a data error.