FEMA Records
3
Total declarations
Oklahoma · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cherokee County, OK
3 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2022), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Ice Storm.
- 3
- FEMA declarations
- 2
- Major disasters
- 77
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Ice Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cherokee County in the top 23% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 42% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Cherokee County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Oklahoma county average and the national county average.
- Cherokee County
- 3
- Oklahoma county avg
- 4.2
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cherokee County?
Cherokee County, Oklahoma has recorded 3 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2022, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 3.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 29% below the Oklahoma county average of 4.2 and 20% below 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 Severe Ice Storm, with 2 of 3 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 76.9/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $28.3M 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 Ice Storm (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 Cherokee County at a low 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 Cherokee County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Low
vs. Oklahoma Avg
-29%
State avg: 4.2
vs. National Avg
-20%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
3.0
Over 1 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Cherokee County
The radar plots Cherokee 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.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
40021
OK state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 3 FEMA disaster declarations in Cherokee County by incident type.
Severe Ice Storm 2
Severe Storm 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 2 66.7%
of all 3 declarations
Emergency — 1 33.3%
of all 3 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Cherokee County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 3 FEMA disaster declarations for Cherokee County, Oklahoma.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4657 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-06-29 |
| 4587 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-24 |
| 3555 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-17 |
Storm Events in Oklahoma
NOAA severe weather data for Oklahoma (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 6,730 | 0 | 1 | $22.1M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,141 | 7 | 40 | $204.8M |
| Drought | 2,982 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Heat | 2,651 | 7 | 428 | $0 |
| Excessive Heat | 1,860 | 2 | 401 | $0 |
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 Cherokee County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 76.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$28.3M/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 Cherokee County.
Ice Storm Very High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Landslide Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Hurricane 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 Oklahoma
Other Oklahoma counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cherokee County, Oklahoma had?
Cherokee County, Oklahoma has received 3 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2022. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cherokee County?
The most common disaster type in Cherokee County is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (1).
How does Cherokee County's disaster risk compare to the Oklahoma average?
Cherokee County has 3 disaster declarations, which is 29% lower than the Oklahoma county average of 4.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 20% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cherokee County received?
Cherokee County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 67% of all 3 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Oklahoma?
The most common storm types in Oklahoma include Hail (6,730 events), Thunderstorm Wind (6,141 events), Drought (2,982 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Cherokee County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Cherokee County was 2021, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2022.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cherokee County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Cherokee County has a low disaster risk level with 3 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cherokee County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cherokee County, Oklahoma has an overall risk score of 76.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $28.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cherokee County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cherokee County is Ice Storm (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Moderate) and Heat Wave (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 Cherokee County
Cherokee County, OK has 3 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a low historical disaster load, 29% below the Oklahoma county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 3) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Oklahoma 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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
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