FEMA Records
15
Below median
Nevada · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Carson City (city), NV
15 FEMA disaster declarations (1986-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 15
- FEMA declarations
- 7
- Major disasters
- 76
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Carson City (city). Its 15 FEMA declarations are 21% above the Nevada county mean and exceed the count for 23% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 24%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 24%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 15
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 91
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
How does Carson City (city) compare?
Carson City (city) vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
15 23rd percentile higher than 23% of 3,266 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 · 2026-08-03
Carson City (city)'s FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Nevada county average
What does Carson City (city)'s hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 91 paid claims, totaling $559.4K. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $6.1K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Carson City (city)'s 15 federal records stand 21% above the Nevada county mean of 12.4. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 76.1/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $41.0M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Earthquake carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 37 years here.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 15 entries for Carson City (city), including 7 Major Disaster records, 21% above the Nevada county mean. Across the 34-year span, that works out to 0.4 declarations a year. Fire leads the file with 5 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
53 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Carson City (city), NV · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Moderate
11/30
15 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.7x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
15/25
15 declarations (1.2x state county average of 12)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
12/25
7 of 15 declarations are major disasters (47%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Carson City (city)
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Nevada Avg
+21%
State avg: 12.4
vs. National Avg
-28%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.4
Over 34 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Carson City (city)
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
47%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
76
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Carson City (city)?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 37 years |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 147 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 16 times per year |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | roughly once every 15 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 2.8 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 19 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 10,000 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | roughly once every 7 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 68 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 162 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 5
Severe Storm 4
Biological 2
Snowstorm 2
Hurricane 1
Flood 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Carson City (city)'s record, 33% of its declarations. Wildfire is the one hazard here with its own dedicated federal instrument: the Fire Management Assistance Grant, which appears in this data as an FM record. An FMAG can be authorised while a fire is still burning, on a timescale of hours, because its purpose is to reimburse the cost of fighting a fire that threatens to become a major disaster.
That distinction matters when comparing counties. An FM declaration is not a presidential major disaster declaration and does not carry the same assistance programmes, so a fire-heavy county's total is not directly comparable with a hurricane-heavy county's total unless the declaration types are separated, which is why they are listed separately on this page.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 7 46.7%
of all 15 declarations
Emergency - 4 26.7%
of all 15 declarations
Fire Management - 4 26.7%
of all 15 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 2 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 15 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 15 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4523 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-04 |
| 3443 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4307 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-03-27 |
| 4303 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-02-17 |
| 2650 | LINEHAN FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2006-06-27 |
| 1629 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-02-03 |
| 3243 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 3204 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-23 |
| 3202 | RECORD AND/OR NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
| 1540 | WILDLAND FIRE | DR | Fire | 2004-08-26 |
| 2531 | WATERFALL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2004-07-14 |
| 2499 | NV - VOLTAIRE-2 FIRE - 09-29-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-09-29 |
| 2469 | NV - HIGHWAY-50 FIRE - 06/17/2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-06-17 |
| 1153 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUD AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-03 |
| 759 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1986-02-28 |
Storm Events in Nevada
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Carson City (city).
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 1,647 | 0 | 2 | $10.4M |
| Heavy Snow | 926 | 0 | 0 | $123.0K |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 463 | 3 | 0 | $8.7M |
| Flash Flood | 315 | 7 | 2 | $36.7M |
| Excessive Heat | 252 | 376 | 17 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
91
Total Paid
$559.4K
Avg Per Claim
$6.1K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 76.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$41.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Avalanche Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Hail Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Drought Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Cold Wave No Rating
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Earthquake
Earthquake is the model's clearest example of a hazard with no season and no warning. Its expected loss is driven less by how often shaking occurs than by how much of the building stock predates modern seismic codes, so exposure can be high in places where nothing has happened for a long time.
Worth noting for Carson City (city): the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Earthquake carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Moderate), while the county's declaration history is led by Fire. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Carson City (city)'s closest FEMA peer: Washington County, OK
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Carson City (city). Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Carson City (city): NRI composite 76.1 (Relatively Low).
Similar Major-disaster share
Carson City (city): 7 of 15 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Carson City (city) shows 15 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Carson City (city) - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Carson City (city)'s NFIP claims file (91 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Carson City (city)?
The most common disaster type in Carson City (city) is Fire, with 5 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (4), Biological (2), Snowstorm (2).
How does Carson City (city)'s FEMA declaration record compare with the Nevada average?
FEMA lists 15 declaration records for Carson City (city). That is 21% above the Nevada county mean of 12.4. Its count is also 28% below the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Carson City (city) received?
Carson City (city) has received 7 major disaster declarations, representing 47% of all 15 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Carson City (city) filed?
Carson City (city) has 91 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $559.4K in payments, with an average of $6.1K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Carson City (city)?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Carson City (city) was 2005, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1986 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Carson City (city)?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Carson City (city), Nevada has an overall risk score of 76.1 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $41.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Carson City (city)?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Carson City (city) is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Moderate) and Winter Weather (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts earthquake here at roughly once every 37 years. 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.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
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 Carson City (city)
Carson City (city), NV has 15 federal declaration records, 21% more than the Nevada county mean of 12; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 7 of 15 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Nevada overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Nevada mean and the totals for 23% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- Use the data guide to separate this mid-volume insurance-claims file from declaration counts and modeled NRI risk. Disaster-data guide
An above-average declaration count records past federal responses; it does not predict the next event. Current warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. 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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.