FEMA Records
7
Low volume
Montana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cascade County, MT
7 FEMA disaster declarations (1975-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 7
- FEMA declarations
- 5
- Major disasters
- 83
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Start with the local benchmark for Cascade County: 7 FEMA declaration records are 36% below the Montana county mean, even though the count is higher than 4% of counties in the national registry. On FEMA's distinct National Risk Index model, which combines expected loss with vulnerability and resilience, the county ranks in the riskiest 17%.
- Riskiest 17%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 7
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 257
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Cascade County compare?
Cascade County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
7 4th percentile higher than 4% 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
Cascade County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Montana county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Cascade County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $25.4M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Winter Weather carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Cascade County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 257 paid claims, totaling $854.7K. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $3.3K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Montana county averages 11.0 federal declaration records, while Cascade County has 7. The gap is 36% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 83.1/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $55.3M 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, Winter Weather stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 46 times per year here, based on 868 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The state comparison is the clearest context for Cascade County's moderate federal record. Its 7 declarations sit 36% below the Montana county mean, with 5 Major Disaster entries among them. 2 records concern Flood, the file's most frequent incident type. Spread across 45 years, the registry rate is 0.2 per year. FEMA reports authorized programs separately from the DR, EM, and FM codes.
44 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Cascade County, MT · 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) Low
5/30
7 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
8/25
7 declarations (0.6x state county average of 11)
Major Disaster Share High
18/25
5 of 7 declarations are major disasters (71%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in Cascade County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
Moderate
vs. Montana Avg
-36%
State avg: 11.0
vs. National Avg
-66%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.2
Over 45 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cascade County
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
71%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
83
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Cascade County?
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 46 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 8.1 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1,443 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 30 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 25 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 281 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 1 time per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 1.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 58 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 67 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 8 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Biological 2
Flood 2
Severe Storm 1
Hurricane 1
Fire 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Cascade County's record, 29% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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 - 5 71.4%
of all 7 declarations
Emergency - 2 28.6%
of all 7 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1981 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 7 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 7 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4508 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-31 |
| 3476 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 1996 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-06-17 |
| 3253 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1340 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2000-08-30 |
| 640 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1981-05-27 |
| 472 | RAINS, SHOWMELT, STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-06-28 |
Storm Events in Montana
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Cascade County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 3,735 | 1 | 2 | $5.3M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,396 | 5 | 24 | $15.1M |
| Hail | 2,015 | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| Winter Storm | 1,502 | 13 | 18 | $11.2M |
| Heavy Snow | 796 | 5 | 3 | $143.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
257
Total Paid
$854.7K
Avg Per Claim
$3.3K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 83.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$55.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Winter Weather Very High
Cold Wave Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Tornado Very Low
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: Winter Weather
Winter Weather in the model means the accumulation of snow and cold that disrupts rather than destroys: road closures, roof loads, burst pipes and lost heating. Its costs land heavily on transport and on households least able to absorb an interruption.
Worth noting for Cascade County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Winter Weather carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. 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
Cascade County's closest FEMA peer: Butler County, MO
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Cascade County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Cascade County: NRI composite 83.1 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar Major-disaster share
Cascade County: 5 of 7 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Cascade County shows 7 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
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 Cascade County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Cascade County's NFIP claims file (257 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 Cascade County?
The most common disaster type in Cascade County is Flood, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Severe Storm (1), Hurricane (1).
How does Cascade County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Montana average?
The typical Montana county has 11.0 FEMA declaration records; Cascade County has 7, or 36% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 66% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cascade County received?
Cascade County has received 5 major disaster declarations, representing 71% of all 7 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Cascade County filed?
Cascade County has 257 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $854.7K in payments, with an average of $3.3K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Cascade County?
No. In Cascade County, Winter Weather has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $25.4M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Cascade County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Cascade County was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1975 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cascade County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cascade County, Montana has an overall risk score of 83.1 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $55.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cascade County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Cascade County is Winter Weather (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Cold Wave (Relatively High) and Wildfire (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts winter weather here at an average of 46 times per year, drawn from 868 historical events on record. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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 Cascade County
Against a Montana county mean of 11 declarations, Cascade County, MT records 7, or 36% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as moderate activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (5 of 7) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Montana overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 4% of recorded county totals, but its own Montana benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. 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
A below-average federal record is not a safety guarantee. Use National Weather Service alerts and local emergency-management notices for present conditions, not this historical comparison.
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.