FEMA Records
6
Total declarations
North Carolina · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Burke County, NC
6 FEMA disaster declarations (2017–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Tropical Storm.
- 6
- FEMA declarations
- 2
- Major disasters
- 70
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Tropical Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Burke County in the top 30% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 81% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Burke County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the North Carolina county average and the national county average.
- Burke County
- 6
- North Carolina county avg
- 4.8
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Burke County?
Burke County, North Carolina has recorded 6 FEMA disaster declarations between 2017 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 0.7 declarations per year across a 9-year record, or roughly 26% above the North Carolina county average of 4.8 and 60% 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 Tropical Storm, with 2 of 6 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 70.2/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $22.8M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively High and community resilience scores Relatively Low — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Ice Storm (Relatively High).
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 Burke County at a moderate 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 Burke County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. North Carolina Avg
+26%
State avg: 4.8
vs. National Avg
+60%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
0.7
Over 9 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Burke County
The radar plots Burke 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
37023
NC state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 6 FEMA disaster declarations in Burke County by incident type.
Tropical Storm 2
Winter Storm 1
Hurricane 1
Severe Storm 1
Fire 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency — 3 50.0%
of all 6 declarations
Major Disaster — 2 33.3%
of all 6 declarations
Fire Management — 1 16.7%
of all 6 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Burke County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 6 FEMA disaster declarations for Burke County, North Carolina.
| 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 |
| 4588 | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR | Severe Storm | 2021-03-03 |
| 5164 | CHESTNUT KNOB FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-11-19 |
Storm Events in North Carolina
NOAA severe weather data for North Carolina (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| 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
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Burke County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 70.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$22.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Burke County.
Ice Storm Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Hurricane Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively 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
Other North Carolina counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Burke County, North Carolina had?
Burke County, North Carolina has received 6 FEMA disaster declarations from 2017 to 2026. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Burke County?
The most common disaster type in Burke County is Tropical Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Winter Storm (1), Hurricane (1), Severe Storm (1).
How does Burke County's disaster risk compare to the North Carolina average?
Burke County has 6 disaster declarations, which is 26% higher than the North Carolina county average of 4.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 60% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Burke County received?
Burke County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 33% of all 6 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 Burke County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Burke County was 2024, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2017 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Burke County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Burke County has a moderate disaster risk level with 6 total declarations. This county has a moderate number of disaster declarations.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Burke County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Burke County, North Carolina has an overall risk score of 70.2 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $22.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Burke County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Burke County is Ice Storm (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Lightning (Relatively High) and Landslide (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 Burke County
Burke County, NC has 6 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a moderate historical disaster load, 26% above the North Carolina county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (3 of 6) — 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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
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