FEMA Records
13
Total declarations
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
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?
- 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.
The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 7 of 13 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 95.2/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $131.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Hurricane stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Taken together, these indicators place Charlotte County at a high relative risk level, its federal disaster history outpaces most of the country, and it is worth pairing that record with forward-looking hazard maps before making insurance or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
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
How to read this radar
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. 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
12015
FL state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 7
Tropical Storm 5
Severe Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
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
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| 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
| 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
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
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
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
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?
Charlotte County has recorded 13 FEMA disaster declarations, a volume FEMA data classifies as high-risk, well above what most U.S. counties see over the same period.
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.
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.