FEMA Records
12
Low volume
Illinois · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Champaign County, IL
12 FEMA disaster declarations (1968-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Tornado.
- 12
- FEMA declarations
- 9
- Major disasters
- 90
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Tornado
- Top hazard
The verdict
Champaign County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 12 declarations, more than 14% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 7% below the Illinois county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 10%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 10%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 12
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 233
- 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 Champaign County compare?
Champaign County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
12 14th percentile higher than 14% 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
Champaign County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Illinois county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Champaign County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $43.2M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Cold Wave 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 Champaign County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 233 paid claims, totaling $2.1M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $8.9K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Illinois county averages 12.9 federal declaration records, while Champaign County has 12. The gap is 7% 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 90.5/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $93.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Cold Wave stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 3.9 times per year here, based on 75 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
Nationally, Champaign County's 12 FEMA records form a high-volume history; within Illinois, however, the count is 7% below the county mean. 9 entries carry the Major Disaster classification. The largest incident group is Tornado, appearing 4 times. The full 52-year record averages 0.2 declarations annually. A DR label alone does not say whether Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both followed.
55 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Champaign County, IL · 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
9/30
12 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
12/25
12 declarations (0.9x state county average of 13)
Major Disaster Share Very High
19/25
9 of 12 declarations are major disasters (75%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Champaign County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Illinois Avg
-7%
State avg: 12.9
vs. National Avg
-42%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.2
Over 52 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Champaign 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
75%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
90
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Champaign 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 3.9 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively High | 1.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 9.6 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively High | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.7 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.8 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 413 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 6.5 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | an average of 4.2 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 48 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 36 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 50,996 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Tornado 4
Severe Storm 3
Biological 2
Hurricane 1
Snowstorm 1
Severe Ice Storm 1
What Tornado declarations mean here
Tornado is the most frequent declaration type on Champaign County's record, 33% of its declarations, which is unusual: most counties file tornado damage under the broader Severe Storm category, so a tornado-led record generally means one or more damage paths severe enough to be named in their own right. Tornado damage is the most spatially concentrated of any hazard class here - total destruction along a narrow corridor with undamaged property either side, so county-level totals understate how severe the local impact was for the households actually in the path.
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 - 9 75.0%
of all 12 declarations
Emergency - 3 25.0%
of all 12 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1968 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 12 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 12 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4489 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-26 |
| 3435 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4157 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 2013-11-26 |
| 3230 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-07 |
| 1416 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 2002-05-21 |
| 3134 | IL-WINTER STORM 1/1/99 | EM | Snowstorm | 1999-01-08 |
| 1112 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-05-06 |
| 1110 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-04-23 |
| 1025 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1994-04-26 |
| 860 | SEVERE ICE STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 1990-03-06 |
| 427 | TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1974-04-11 |
| 242 | TORNADOES, SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 1968-06-05 |
Storm Events in Illinois
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Champaign County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7,218 | 9 | 67 | $46.0M |
| Hail | 3,195 | 0 | 0 | $27.1M |
| Winter Weather | 1,363 | 14 | 49 | $1.8M |
| Flood | 1,221 | 14 | 11 | $84.3M |
| Flash Flood | 1,133 | 11 | 3 | $1.1B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
233
Total Paid
$2.1M
Avg Per Claim
$8.9K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 90.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$93.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively High
Drought Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively High
Tornado Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Very Low
Landslide 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: Cold Wave
Cold Wave measures exposure to extreme cold rather than to snow. Its harm is concentrated in health effects, burst infrastructure and energy demand spikes, and it falls hardest where the building stock and the grid were not built with sustained cold in mind.
Worth noting for Champaign County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Cold Wave carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Tornado. 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
Champaign County's closest FEMA peer: York County, PA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Champaign County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Champaign County: NRI composite 90.5 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar Major-disaster share
Champaign County: 9 of 12 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Champaign County shows 12 FEMA declarations, led by Tornado.
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 Champaign County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Champaign County's NFIP claims file (233 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 Champaign County?
The most common disaster type in Champaign County is Tornado, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (3), Biological (2), Hurricane (1).
How does Champaign County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Illinois average?
The typical Illinois county has 12.9 FEMA declaration records; Champaign County has 12, or 7% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 42% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Champaign County received?
Champaign County has received 9 major disaster declarations, representing 75% of all 12 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Champaign County filed?
Champaign County has 233 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $2.1M in payments, with an average of $8.9K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Champaign County?
No. In Champaign County, Cold Wave has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $43.2M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Champaign County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Champaign County was 1996, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1968 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Champaign County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Champaign County, Illinois has an overall risk score of 90.5 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $93.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Champaign County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Champaign County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Drought (Relatively High) and Winter Weather (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 3.9 times per year, drawn from 75 historical events on record. FEMA derives these ratings from historical event frequency, the assets exposed, and the community's vulnerability profile.
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 Champaign County
Against a Illinois county mean of 13 declarations, Champaign County, IL records 12, or 7% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as high activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (9 of 12) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Illinois overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 14% of recorded county totals, but its own Illinois 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.