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Charlotte County, FL

13 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.

13
FEMA declarations
6
Major disasters
95
NRI risk · Relatively High
Hurricane
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Charlotte County in the top 5% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 98% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Charlotte County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Florida county average and the national county average.

Charlotte County
13
Florida county avg
11.1
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Charlotte County?

Charlotte County, Florida has recorded 13 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2025, of which 6 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 3.3 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 17% above the Florida county average of 11.1 and 247% above the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 7 of 13 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively High (composite score 95.2/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Moderate equivalent to roughly $131.3M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively High and community resilience scores Very Low — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Hurricane (Very High).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Charlotte County at a high relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How Charlotte County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

High

vs. Florida Avg

+17%

State avg: 11.1

vs. National Avg

+247%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

3.3

Over 4 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Charlotte County

Charlotte County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 70, Hurricane 92, Tornado 25, Wildfire 48, Drought 25, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 25. Overall composite 40 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 40 composite
Charlotte County NRI risk profile FIPS 12015 · composite 40/100 (Moderate)

The radar plots Charlotte 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.

FEMA Records

13

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

12015

FL state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 13 FEMA disaster declarations in Charlotte County by incident type.

Hurricane 7
Tropical Storm 5
Severe Storm 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Emergency — 7 53.8%

of all 13 declarations

Major Disaster — 6 46.2%

of all 13 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Charlotte County.

Year Declarations
2025 2
2024 4
2023 4
2022 2
2021 1

Disaster Declarations

All 13 FEMA disaster declarations for Charlotte County, Florida.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4834 HURRICANE MILTON DR Hurricane 2024-10-11
3622 HURRICANE MILTON EM Hurricane 2024-10-07
4828 HURRICANE HELENE DR Hurricane 2024-09-28
3615 TROPICAL STORM HELENE EM Tropical Storm 2024-09-24
4806 HURRICANE DEBBY DR Tropical Storm 2024-08-10
3605 TROPICAL STORM DEBBY EM Tropical Storm 2024-08-03
4734 HURRICANE IDALIA DR Hurricane 2023-08-31
3596 TROPICAL STORM IDALIA EM Tropical Storm 2023-08-28
4680 HURRICANE NICOLE DR Hurricane 2022-12-13
3587 TROPICAL STORM NICOLE EM Tropical Storm 2022-11-08
4673 HURRICANE IAN DR Hurricane 2022-09-29
3584 TROPICAL STORM IAN EM Hurricane 2022-09-24
3561 TROPICAL STORM ELSA EM Severe Storm 2021-07-04

Storm Events in Florida

NOAA severe weather data for Florida (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 5,511 20 45 $25.3M
Hail 1,096 0 0 $564.6K
Heavy Rain 990 2 3 $200.0K
Flood 873 9 0 $2.0B
Flash Flood 793 0 0 $148.2M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Charlotte County.

Overall Risk

Relatively High

Score: 95.2/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Moderate

$131.3M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively High

Community Resilience

Very Low

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Charlotte County.

Hurricane Very High
Lightning Very High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Hail Very Low
Winter Weather No Rating

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 Florida

Other Florida counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Charlotte County, Florida had?
Charlotte County, Florida has received 13 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2025. Of these, 6 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Charlotte County?
The most common disaster type in Charlotte County is Hurricane, with 7 declarations. Other disaster types include Tropical Storm (5), Severe Storm (1).
How does Charlotte County's disaster risk compare to the Florida average?
Charlotte County has 13 disaster declarations, which is 17% higher than the Florida county average of 11.1 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 247% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Charlotte County received?
Charlotte County has received 6 major disaster declarations, representing 46% of all 13 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Florida?
The most common storm types in Florida include Thunderstorm Wind (5,511 events), Hail (1,096 events), Heavy Rain (990 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Charlotte County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Charlotte County was 2023, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Charlotte County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Charlotte County has a high disaster risk level with 13 total declarations. This county has significantly more disaster declarations than average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Charlotte County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Charlotte County, Florida has an overall risk score of 95.2 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $131.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Charlotte County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Charlotte County is Hurricane (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Lightning (Very High) and Wildfire (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 Charlotte County

Charlotte County, FL has 13 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a high historical disaster load, 17% above the Florida county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (7 of 13) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Florida 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.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

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