FEMA Records
9
Low volume
Michigan · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cass County, MI
9 FEMA disaster declarations (1977-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Snowstorm.
- 9
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 48
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Snowstorm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Start with the local benchmark for Cass County: 9 FEMA declaration records are 10% below the Michigan county mean, even though the count is higher than 8% 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 safer than 48%.
- Safer than 48%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 9
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 15
- 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 Cass County compare?
Cass County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
9 8th percentile higher than 8% 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
Cass County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Michigan county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Cass County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $7.1M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Strong Wind carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively 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 Cass County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 47.7/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Very Low (roughly $13.7M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Relatively Moderate) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Strong Wind stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 4.3 times per year here, based on 165 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The state comparison is the clearest context for Cass County's moderate federal record. Its 9 declarations sit 10% below the Michigan county mean, with 3 Major Disaster entries among them. 4 records concern Snowstorm, the file's most frequent incident type. Spread across 43 years, the registry rate is 0.2 per year. FEMA reports authorized programs separately from the DR, EM, and FM codes.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 15 claims and $112.3K paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
Start with the state benchmark: a Michigan county averages 10.0 federal declaration records, while Cass County has 9. The gap is 10% 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.
39 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Cass County, MI · 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
7/30
9 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
11/25
9 declarations (0.9x state county average of 10)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
8/25
3 of 9 declarations are major disasters (33%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in Cass County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
Moderate
vs. Michigan Avg
-10%
State avg: 10.0
vs. National Avg
-57%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.2
Over 43 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cass 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
33%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
48
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Cass 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | an average of 4.3 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.4 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.4 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 21 times per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 926 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 38 times per year |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 64 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 0.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 80,756 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Snowstorm 4
Biological 2
Hurricane 1
Severe Storm 1
Flood 1
What Snowstorm declarations mean here
Snowstorm is the most frequent declaration type on Cass County's record, 44% of its declarations. Snow-related declarations work on a narrower basis than most other hazards: they are generally issued to reimburse the cost of snow removal and emergency protective measures, rather than to repair destroyed property.
The qualifying test is unusual too. FEMA assesses snowfall against record levels for the affected area, so the same storm total can qualify in a county where it is historically extreme and not qualify a few hundred miles north where it is an ordinary winter. A low snowstorm declaration count is therefore not evidence of mild winters.
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).
Emergency - 6 66.7%
of all 9 declarations
Major Disaster - 3 33.3%
of all 9 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 9 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 9 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4494 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3455 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3225 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-07 |
| 1527 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-06-30 |
| 3160 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-01-10 |
| 3137 | MI - SEVERE WEATHER 1/2 /99 | EM | Snowstorm | 1999-01-27 |
| 631 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1980-09-08 |
| 3057 | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1978-01-27 |
| 3030 | SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1977-02-05 |
Storm Events in Michigan
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Cass County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,010 | 10 | 18 | $173.8M |
| Winter Storm | 1,486 | 3 | 11 | $41.8M |
| Winter Weather | 1,254 | 21 | 38 | $892.0K |
| Hail | 962 | 0 | 0 | $77.1M |
| High Wind | 389 | 3 | 2 | $668.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
15
Total Paid
$112.3K
Avg Per Claim
$7.5K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 47.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$13.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Hurricane Very Low
Drought Very Low
Wildfire 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: Strong Wind
Strong Wind covers damaging non-thunderstorm, non-tornadic wind, the kind produced by steep pressure gradients and downslope events. It is a broad, frequent, low-drama hazard: roofs, signage, power lines and high-profile vehicles, spread across a wide area rather than concentrated on a path.
Worth noting for Cass County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Strong Wind carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Snowstorm. 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
Cass County's closest FEMA peer: Juab County, UT
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Cass County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Cass County shows 9 FEMA declarations, led by Snowstorm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Cass County: 3 of 9 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Cass County: NRI composite 47.7 (Relatively Low).
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 Cass County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
FEMA's National Risk Index flags Strong Wind as the top modeled exposure here (Relatively High); the guide explains how that model differs from declaration counts.
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 Cass County?
The most common disaster type in Cass County is Snowstorm, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Hurricane (1), Severe Storm (1).
How does Cass County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Michigan average?
The typical Michigan county has 10.0 FEMA declaration records; Cass County has 9, or 10% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 57% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cass County received?
Cass County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 33% of all 9 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Cass County filed?
Cass County has 15 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $112.3K in payments, with an average of $7.5K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Cass County?
No. In Cass County, Strong Wind has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $7.1M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Cass County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Cass County was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1977 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cass County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cass County, Michigan has an overall risk score of 47.7 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $13.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cass County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Cass County as of the latest release is Strong Wind (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hail (Relatively Moderate) and Cold Wave (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts strong wind here at an average of 4.3 times per year, drawn from 165 historical events on record. 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 Cass County
Against a Michigan county mean of 10 declarations, Cass County, MI records 9, or 10% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as moderate activity.
- Emergency is the largest group (6 of 9) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Michigan overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 8% of recorded county totals, but its own Michigan benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- A short NFIP claims file cannot establish low flood exposure; the data guide explains the limits of each federal measure. 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.