FEMA Records
15
Below median
Idaho · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Clearwater County, ID
15 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 15
- FEMA declarations
- 12
- Major disasters
- 47
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Clearwater County. Its 15 FEMA declarations are 80% above the Idaho county mean and exceed the count for 23% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it safer than 47%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Safer than 47%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 15
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 8
- 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 16035 · Clearwater County 15 declarations · rank 2449/3,266
DECL-MID · MAJOR-HEAVY · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-HIGH
- DECL-MID 15
- MAJOR-HEAVY 80%
- RANK-LOWER #2,449
- PHOTO-FINISH Polk
- NRI-LOW 47
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-HIGH +80%
Nearest declaration peer: Polk, OR (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Idaho state profile
Clearwater County among counties with fewer federal records
FEMA declaration records among Clearwater County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Clearwater · this county 15
Clearwater · this county
15 declarations
- Flathead · near 15
Flathead · near
15 declarations
- Murray · near 15
Murray · near
15 declarations
- Polk · near 15
Polk · near
15 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Clearwater County carries 15 FEMA declaration records, ranked 2449 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Clearwater County versus quieter counties in this dataset
Clearwater County among lower-declaration counties nationally
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Clearwater County
15 23rd percentile higher than 23% 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
Clearwater County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Clearwater County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $5.4M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate). 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 Clearwater County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 46.9/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Very Low (roughly $10.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Very High) and community resilience (Very Low) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Landslide carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 1.9 times per year here.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 8 claims and $36.5K paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Clearwater County's 15 federal records stand 80% above the Idaho county mean of 8.3. 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.
72 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Clearwater County, ID · 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) Moderate
11/30
15 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.7x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
23/25
15 declarations (1.8x state county average of 8)
Major Disaster Share Very High
20/25
12 of 15 declarations are major disasters (80%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Clearwater County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Clearwater 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
80%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
47
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Clearwater 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 115 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 30 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 40 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 2.5 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 715 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 30 modeled event-days per year |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 36 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Lightning | Very Low | an average of 19 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 28 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 4
Severe Storm 3
Fire 3
Biological 2
Straight-Line Winds 1
Hurricane 1
Volcanic Eruption 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Clearwater County's record, 27% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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).
Major Disaster - 12 80.0%
of all 15 declarations
Emergency - 2 13.3%
of all 15 declarations
Fire Management - 1 6.7%
of all 15 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1967 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 15 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 15 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4917 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2026-06-30 |
| 4905 | STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Straight-Line Winds | 2026-04-07 |
| 4534 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-09 |
| 3467 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4313 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2017-05-18 |
| 5105 | MUNICIPAL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2015-08-15 |
| 1987 | FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2011-05-20 |
| 3244 | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1341 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2000-09-01 |
| 1154 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUD AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-04 |
| 1102 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-02-11 |
| 624 | VOLCANIC ERUPTION, MT. ST. HELENS | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 1980-05-22 |
| 415 | SEVERE STORMS, SNOWMELT & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-01-25 |
| 231 | FOREST FIRES | DR | Fire | 1967-08-30 |
| 186 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1964-12-31 |
Storm Events in Idaho
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Clearwater County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,495 | 1 | 13 | $100.9M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,087 | 9 | 26 | $3.6M |
| Winter Storm | 492 | 4 | 15 | $1.0M |
| High Wind | 396 | 4 | 6 | $10.6M |
| Winter Weather | 297 | 10 | 15 | $1.7M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
8
Total Paid
$36.5K
Avg Per Claim
$4.6K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 46.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$10.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Drought Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Hail Very Low
Lightning 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: Landslide
Landslide risk is a function of slope, soil and water, so it is usually a SECOND-ORDER hazard: it is triggered by the rainfall, snowmelt, wildfire burn scars or seismic shaking that came first. That is why a county can carry high landslide exposure whose realized damage is recorded under a flood or storm declaration instead.
Worth noting for Clearwater County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Moderate), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
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
Clearwater County's closest FEMA peer: Sioux County, IA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Clearwater County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Clearwater County shows 15 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Clearwater County: 12 of 15 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Clearwater County: NRI composite 46.9 (Relatively Low).
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 Clearwater County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Clearwater 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: 46.9 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 15. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 15 FEMA declarations, Clearwater County sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.
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 Clearwater County?
The most common disaster type in Clearwater County is Flood, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (3), Fire (3), Biological (2).
How does Clearwater County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Idaho average?
FEMA lists 15 declaration records for Clearwater County. That is 80% above the Idaho county mean of 8.3. Its count is also 28% below 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 Clearwater County received?
Clearwater County has received 12 major disaster declarations, representing 80% of all 15 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Clearwater County filed?
Clearwater County has 8 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $36.5K in payments, with an average of $4.6K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Clearwater County?
No. In Clearwater County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $5.4M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Clearwater County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Clearwater County was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Clearwater County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Clearwater County, Idaho has an overall risk score of 46.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Very High, while community resilience comes in at Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $10.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Clearwater County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Clearwater County as of the latest release is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Moderate) and Avalanche (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at an average of 1.9 times per year. FEMA derives these ratings from historical event frequency, the assets exposed, and the community's vulnerability profile.
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 Clearwater County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Idaho profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events