FEMA Records
2
Total declarations
New York · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Chautauqua County, NY
2 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.
- 2
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 85
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Winter Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Chautauqua County in the top 15% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 22% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Chautauqua County compare?
- Chautauqua County
- 2
- New York county avg
- 3
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Chautauqua County?
Chautauqua County, New York has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2023, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 0.7 declarations per year across a 3-year record, or roughly 32% below the New York county average of 3.0 and 47% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 2 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 84.6/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $43.6M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Lightning stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Taken together, Chautauqua County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Low
vs. New York Avg
-32%
State avg: 3.0
vs. National Avg
-47%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
0.7
Over 3 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Chautauqua County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Chautauqua 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
36013
NY state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Winter Storm 1
Biological 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
Major Disaster - 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3589 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2022-11-20 |
| 4480 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-20 |
Storm Events in New York
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,930 | 6 | 50 | $51.9M |
| Winter Weather | 2,595 | 10 | 25 | $728.0K |
| Flash Flood | 1,959 | 24 | 3 | $676.3M |
| Strong Wind | 1,657 | 4 | 13 | $9.2M |
| Winter Storm | 1,349 | 13 | 2 | $4.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 84.6/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$43.6M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Hail Very Low
Coastal Flooding Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Drought 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 New York
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Chautauqua County, New York had?
Chautauqua County, New York has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2023. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Chautauqua County?
The most common disaster type in Chautauqua County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Biological (1).
How does Chautauqua County's disaster risk compare to the New York average?
Chautauqua County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 32% lower than the New York county average of 3.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 47% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Chautauqua County received?
Chautauqua County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 50% of all 2 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in New York?
The most common storm types in New York include Thunderstorm Wind (8,930 events), Winter Weather (2,595 events), Flash Flood (1,959 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Chautauqua County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Chautauqua County was 2020, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2023.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Chautauqua County?
Chautauqua County's 2 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Chautauqua County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Chautauqua County, New York has an overall risk score of 84.6 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $43.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Chautauqua County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Chautauqua County is Lightning (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Strong Wind (Relatively High) and Tornado (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 Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County, NY has 2 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 32% below the New York county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 2) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. New York 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.