FEMA Records
5
Total declarations
Minnesota · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cass County, MN
5 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 5
- FEMA declarations
- 5
- Major disasters
- 54
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cass County in the top 46% 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 Cass County compare?
- Cass County
- 5
- Minnesota county avg
- 1.9
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cass County?
Cass County, Minnesota has recorded 5 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2024, of which 5 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.3 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 168% above the Minnesota county average of 1.9 and 34% above the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 2 of 5 declarations falling under this category. This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 53.5/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Very Low (roughly $13.9M in annualized losses), and a Relatively High social-vulnerability profile combined with Relatively High community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Cold Wave carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Taken together, these indicators put Cass 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. Minnesota Avg
+168%
State avg: 1.9
vs. National Avg
+34%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.3
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cass County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Cass 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
27021
MN state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 2
Biological 2
Flood 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 5 100.0%
of all 5 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4797 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-06-28 |
| 4666 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-08-09 |
| 4658 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-07-08 |
| 4531 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-07 |
| 4531 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-07 |
Storm Events in Minnesota
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 4,835 | 13 | 26 | $84.5M |
| Hail | 4,465 | 0 | 0 | $34.5M |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 2,009 | 7 | 4 | $55.0K |
| Winter Storm | 1,812 | 2 | 20 | $10.1M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,302 | 10 | 14 | $1.0M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 53.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$13.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Earthquake 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 Minnesota
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cass County, Minnesota had?
Cass County, Minnesota has received 5 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2024. Of these, 5 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cass County?
The most common disaster type in Cass County is Severe Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Flood (1).
How does Cass County's disaster risk compare to the Minnesota average?
Cass County has 5 disaster declarations, which is 168% higher than the Minnesota county average of 1.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 34% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cass County received?
Cass County has received 5 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 5 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Minnesota?
The most common storm types in Minnesota include Thunderstorm Wind (4,835 events), Hail (4,465 events), Extreme Cold/Wind Chill (2,009 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
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 2020 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cass County?
With 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Cass County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cass County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cass County, Minnesota has an overall risk score of 53.5 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $13.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cass County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cass County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Low) and Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate). 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 Cass County
Cass County, MN has 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a moderate historical disaster load, 168% above the Minnesota county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (5 of 5) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Minnesota 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.