FEMA Records
52
Very high volume
Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Chelan County, WA
52 FEMA disaster declarations (1972-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 52
- FEMA declarations
- 16
- Major disasters
- 91
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Chelan County. Its 52 FEMA declarations are 109% above the Washington county mean and exceed the count for 99% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 9%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 9%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 52
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 183
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 53007 · Chelan County 52 declarations · rank 11/3,266
DECL-MEGA · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-HIGH
- DECL-MEGA 52
- MAJOR-LIGHT 31%
- RANK-TOP #11
- PHOTO-FINISH Livingston
- NRI-MID 91
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-HIGH +109%
Nearest declaration peer: Livingston, LA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Washington state profile
Chelan County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Chelan County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Terrebonne · near
Terrebonne · near
53 declarations
- Ventura · near
Ventura · near
53 declarations
- Chelan · this county
Chelan · this county
52 declarations
- Livingston · near
Livingston · near
52 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Chelan County carries 52 FEMA declaration records, ranked 11 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Chelan County ranks in the national declaration registry
Chelan County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Chelan County
52 Top 1% higher than 99% 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 · 2026-08-25
Chelan County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Chelan County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $41.3M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Wildfire 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 Chelan County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 183 paid claims, totaling $3.0M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $16.2K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Chelan County's 52 federal records stand 109% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 90.9/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $88.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Wildfire stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 43 years here.
83 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Chelan County, WA · 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) Very High
30/30
52 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (2.5x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
25/25
52 declarations (2.1x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
8/25
16 of 52 declarations are major disasters (31%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Chelan County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Chelan 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
31%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
91
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Chelan 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | roughly once every 43 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | an average of 4 times per year |
| Avalanche | Very High | roughly once every 4 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | roughly once every 80 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 152 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 9.9 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.7 modeled event-days per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 26 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 14 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 10 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 13 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 7.8 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 17 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 20 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 33
Severe Storm 7
Flood 6
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
Earthquake 1
Volcanic Eruption 1
Drought 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Chelan County's record, 63% of its declarations. Wildfire is the one hazard here with its own dedicated federal instrument: the Fire Management Assistance Grant, which appears in this data as an FM record. An FMAG can be authorised while a fire is still burning, on a timescale of hours, because its purpose is to reimburse the cost of fighting a fire that threatens to become a major disaster.
That distinction matters when comparing counties. An FM declaration is not a presidential major disaster declaration and does not carry the same assistance programmes, so a fire-heavy county's total is not directly comparable with a hurricane-heavy county's total unless the declaration types are separated, which is why they are listed separately on this page.
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).
Fire Management - 30 57.7%
of all 52 declarations
Major Disaster - 16 30.8%
of all 52 declarations
Emergency - 6 11.5%
of all 52 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 4 | |
| 2013 | 3 | |
| 2012 | 5 | |
| 2009 | 3 | |
| 2007 | 3 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
Show 10 earlier declaration years
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 3 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 4 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 52 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 52 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4906 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2026-04-07 |
| 3629 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2025-12-12 |
| 5614 | LOWER SUGARLOAF FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-09-26 |
| 4650 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWSTORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2022-03-29 |
| 5414 | TWENTYFIVE MILE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-18 |
| 5398 | RED APPLE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-07-14 |
| 5352 | APPLE ACRES FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-09-07 |
| 4481 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3427 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5270 | COUGAR CREEK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-08-11 |
| 5182 | SPROMBERG FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-05-23 |
| 5152 | SUNCREST FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-08-28 |
| 4249 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-01-15 |
| 4243 | WILDFIRES AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Fire | 2015-10-20 |
| 3372 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2015-08-21 |
| 5100 | CHELAN FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2015-08-14 |
| 5087 | SLEEPY HOLLOW FIRE | FM | Fire | 2015-06-29 |
| 5072 | HANSEL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-08-06 |
| 3371 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2014-07-23 |
| 5061 | CHIWAUKUM FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-07-17 |
Show 32 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5059 | MILLS CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-07-10 |
| 5048 | EAGLE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-08-21 |
| 5042 | MILE POST 10 FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-08-10 |
| 5038 | COLOCKUM TARPS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-07-30 |
| 5020 | TABLE MOUNTAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-09-20 |
| 5018 | PEAVINE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-09-13 |
| 5017 | POISON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-09-12 |
| 5015 | BYRD CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-09-10 |
| 5012 | 1ST CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-09-09 |
| 2823 | UNION VALLEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2009-07-29 |
| 1825 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-03-02 |
| 1817 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2009-01-30 |
| 2711 | EASY STREET FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-07-08 |
| 1682 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-02-14 |
| 1671 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-12-12 |
| 2674 | FLICK CREEK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-09-11 |
| 3227 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 2572 | DIRTY FACE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-08-01 |
| 2543 | WA-FISCHER WILDFIRE-08-11-2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-08-11 |
| 2537 | DEEP HARBOR FIRE | FM | Fire | 2004-07-30 |
| 1499 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-11-07 |
| 2449 | WA - DEER POINT FIRE - 07/20/02 | FM | Fire | 2002-07-20 |
| 2379 | WA - REX CREEK FIRE COMPLEX - 2379 | FM | Fire | 2001-08-17 |
| 2374 | WA - ICICLE FIRE COMPLEX - 2374 | FM | Fire | 2001-08-14 |
| 2368 | WA - UNION VALLEY FIRE - 07/28/01 | FM | Fire | 2001-07-28 |
| 1361 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2001-03-01 |
| 1159 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LAND & MUDS SLIDES,FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-17 |
| 1079 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WIND, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-01-03 |
| 883 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-11-26 |
| 623 | VOLCANIC ERUPTION, MT. ST. HELENS | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 1980-05-21 |
| 3037 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-03-31 |
| 334 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-06-10 |
Storm Events in Washington
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Chelan County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,700 | 5 | 7 | $2.3M |
| High Wind | 614 | 15 | 6 | $1.1B |
| Wildfire | 299 | 4 | 4 | $1.8B |
| Winter Weather | 259 | 9 | 62 | $1.1M |
| Flood | 231 | 4 | 0 | $391.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
183
Total Paid
$3.0M
Avg Per Claim
$16.2K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 90.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$88.5M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Very High
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Very Low
Drought Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Tornado 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: Wildfire
Wildfire risk in the model reflects fuel, terrain, weather and how much development sits in the wildland-urban interface. It is one of the few hazards where the exposure is materially changed by land management and building choices, not only by where the county happens to be.
For Chelan County the two measures on this page point the same way: Wildfire is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively High), and Fire declarations also lead its federal record. Where the model and the declaration history agree, the reading is comparatively straightforward, the hazard is both expected and repeatedly realised.
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
Chelan County's closest FEMA peer: Livingston Parish, LA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Chelan County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Chelan County shows 52 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Chelan County: 16 of 52 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Chelan County: NRI composite 90.9 (Relatively Moderate).
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 Chelan County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Chelan County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 90.9 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 52. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Chelan County's NFIP claims file (183 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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Chelan County?
The most common disaster type in Chelan County is Fire, with 33 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (7), Flood (6), Biological (2).
How does Chelan County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Washington average?
FEMA lists 52 declaration records for Chelan County. That is 109% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. Its count is also 151% above the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Chelan County received?
Chelan County has received 16 major disaster declarations, representing 31% of all 52 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Chelan County filed?
Chelan County has 183 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $3.0M in payments, with an average of $16.2K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Chelan County?
No. In Chelan County, Wildfire has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $41.3M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Chelan County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Chelan County was 2012, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1972 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Chelan County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Chelan County, Washington has an overall risk score of 90.9 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $88.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Chelan County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Chelan County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Moderate) and Avalanche (Very High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 43 years. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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.
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Chelan County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Washington profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events