FEMA Records
10
Total declarations
Tennessee · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cheatham County, TN
10 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 10
- FEMA declarations
- 7
- Major disasters
- 46
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cheatham County in the top 54% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 94% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Cheatham County compare?
- Cheatham County
- 10
- Tennessee county avg
- 4.8
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cheatham County?
Cheatham County, Tennessee has recorded 10 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2026, of which 7 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 2.0 declarations per year across a 5-year record, or roughly 108% above the Tennessee county average of 4.8 and 167% above the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 5 of 10 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 46.3/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Relatively Low (roughly $17.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Very Low) and community resilience (Relatively Low) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Even the county's top-rated hazard, Earthquake, only reaches Relatively Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here.
Taken together, these indicators place Cheatham 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. Tennessee Avg
+108%
State avg: 4.8
vs. National Avg
+167%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
2.0
Over 5 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cheatham County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Cheatham 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
47021
TN state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 5
Tornado 3
Winter Storm 2
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 7 70.0%
of all 10 declarations
Emergency - 3 30.0%
of all 10 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4898 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Winter Storm | 2026-02-06 |
| 3635 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 4878 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-06-19 |
| 3625 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-04-02 |
| 4792 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-06-17 |
| 4751 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-12-13 |
| 4712 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-05-17 |
| 4637 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 2022-01-14 |
| 3576 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | EM | Tornado | 2021-12-13 |
| 4601 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 2021-05-08 |
Storm Events in Tennessee
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7,216 | 23 | 62 | $112.6M |
| Hail | 2,072 | 0 | 0 | $630.5K |
| Heat | 1,802 | 11 | 15 | $0 |
| Flash Flood | 1,491 | 57 | 3 | $349.4M |
| Winter Weather | 1,161 | 5 | 0 | $261.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 46.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$17.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Earthquake Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Wildfire 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 Tennessee
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cheatham County, Tennessee had?
Cheatham County, Tennessee has received 10 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2026. Of these, 7 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cheatham County?
The most common disaster type in Cheatham County is Severe Storm, with 5 declarations. Other disaster types include Tornado (3), Winter Storm (2).
How does Cheatham County's disaster risk compare to the Tennessee average?
Cheatham County has 10 disaster declarations, which is 108% higher than the Tennessee county average of 4.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 167% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cheatham County received?
Cheatham County has received 7 major disaster declarations, representing 70% of all 10 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Tennessee?
The most common storm types in Tennessee include Thunderstorm Wind (7,216 events), Hail (2,072 events), Heat (1,802 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Cheatham County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Cheatham County was 2022, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cheatham County?
Cheatham County has recorded 10 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 Cheatham County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cheatham County, Tennessee has an overall risk score of 46.3 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $17.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cheatham County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cheatham County is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Relatively Moderate) and Ice Storm (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 Cheatham County
Cheatham County, TN has 10 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a high historical disaster load, 108% above the Tennessee county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (7 of 10) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Tennessee 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.