FEMA Records
5
Total declarations
North Carolina · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Buncombe County, NC
5 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Tropical Storm.
- 5
- FEMA declarations
- 2
- Major disasters
- 89
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Tropical Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Buncombe County in the top 11% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 72% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Buncombe County compare?
- Buncombe County
- 5
- North Carolina county avg
- 4.8
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Buncombe County?
Buncombe County, North Carolina has recorded 5 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2026, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.0 declarations per year across a 5-year record, or roughly 5% above the North Carolina county average of 4.8 and 34% above the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Tropical Storm, with 2 of 5 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 89.3/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $82.4M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Landslide stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Taken together, these indicators put Buncombe County at a moderate relative risk level, not the calmest county on record, but not among the most disaster-prone either.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. North Carolina Avg
+5%
State avg: 4.8
vs. National Avg
+34%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.0
Over 5 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Buncombe County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Buncombe 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
37021
NC state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Tropical Storm 2
Hurricane 2
Winter Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 3 60.0%
of all 5 declarations
Major Disaster - 2 40.0%
of all 5 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3637 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 4827 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-28 |
| 3617 | HURRICANE HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-26 |
| 3586 | HURRICANE IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-10-01 |
| 4617 | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM FRED | DR | Hurricane | 2021-09-08 |
Storm Events in North Carolina
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7,857 | 11 | 60 | $65.3M |
| Flash Flood | 2,097 | 113 | 6 | $2.4B |
| Hail | 1,762 | 0 | 0 | $122.5M |
| Winter Weather | 1,359 | 6 | 2 | $425.0K |
| Winter Storm | 848 | 7 | 0 | $11.1M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 89.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$82.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively High
Lightning Very High
Ice Storm Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Moderate
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 Carolina
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Buncombe County, North Carolina had?
Buncombe County, North Carolina has received 5 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2026. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Buncombe County?
The most common disaster type in Buncombe County is Tropical Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (2), Winter Storm (1).
How does Buncombe County's disaster risk compare to the North Carolina average?
Buncombe County has 5 disaster declarations, which is 5% higher than the North Carolina county average of 4.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 34% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Buncombe County received?
Buncombe County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 40% of all 5 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in North Carolina?
The most common storm types in North Carolina include Thunderstorm Wind (7,857 events), Flash Flood (2,097 events), Hail (1,762 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Buncombe County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Buncombe County was 2024, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Buncombe County?
With 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Buncombe County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Buncombe County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Buncombe County, North Carolina has an overall risk score of 89.3 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $82.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Buncombe County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Buncombe County is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Cold Wave (Relatively High) and Lightning (Very High). 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 Buncombe County
Buncombe County, NC has 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a moderate historical disaster load, 5% above the North Carolina county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (3 of 5) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. North Carolina 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.