FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Arizona · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cochise County, AZ
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2017–2017), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 93
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Fire
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cochise County in the top 7% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Cochise County compare?
- Cochise County
- 1
- Arizona county avg
- 3.7
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cochise County?
Cochise County, Arizona has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2017 and 2017, of which 0 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 73% below the Arizona county average of 3.7 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Fire, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 92.8/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $90.8M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Wildfire stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Taken together, Cochise County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Arizona Avg
-73%
State avg: 3.7
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cochise County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Cochise 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
04003
AZ state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Fire 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Fire Management - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5183 | LIZARD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-06-11 |
Storm Events in Arizona
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 2,354 | 52 | 18 | $181.4M |
| Excessive Heat | 1,860 | 1,540 | 120 | $0 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,814 | 3 | 19 | $79.9M |
| Heat | 798 | 1,305 | 72 | $0 |
| Dust Storm | 520 | 10 | 36 | $1.8M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 92.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$90.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively High
Lightning Very High
Drought Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Hail Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Cold Wave 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 Arizona
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cochise County, Arizona had?
Cochise County, Arizona has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2017 to 2017.
What is the most common disaster type in Cochise County?
The most common disaster type in Cochise County is Fire, with 1 declaration.
How does Cochise County's disaster risk compare to the Arizona average?
Cochise County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 73% lower than the Arizona county average of 3.7 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Arizona?
The most common storm types in Arizona include Flash Flood (2,354 events), Excessive Heat (1,860 events), Thunderstorm Wind (1,814 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cochise County?
Cochise County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cochise County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cochise County, Arizona has an overall risk score of 92.8 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $90.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cochise County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cochise County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Heat Wave (Relatively High) and Lightning (Very High). 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 Cochise County
Cochise County, AZ has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 73% below the Arizona county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is fire management (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Arizona 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.