FEMA Records
2
Total declarations
Missouri · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cooper County, MO
2 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 2
- FEMA declarations
- 2
- Major disasters
- 20
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cooper County in the top 80% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 22% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Cooper County compare?
- Cooper County
- 2
- Missouri county avg
- 2
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cooper County?
Cooper County, Missouri has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2025, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 0.5 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 0% above the Missouri county average of 2.0 and 47% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 2 of 2 declarations falling under this category. This county's FEMA National Risk Index composite lands at 20.4/100 (Very Low), a modest reading against the rest of the country. Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $11.3M in annualized losses), tempered or compounded by a Very Low social-vulnerability score and Very High community-resilience score. Even the county's top-rated hazard, Heat Wave, only reaches Relatively Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here.
Taken together, Cooper County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Low
vs. Missouri Avg
+0%
State avg: 2.0
vs. National Avg
-47%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cooper County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Cooper 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
29053
MO state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe 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 - 2 100.0%
of all 2 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4872 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-05-21 |
| 4612 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2021-09-01 |
Storm Events in Missouri
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7,277 | 32 | 61 | $78.8M |
| Hail | 4,904 | 0 | 1 | $87.3M |
| Flash Flood | 2,644 | 49 | 14 | $414.1M |
| Flood | 1,929 | 26 | 7 | $304.8M |
| Drought | 1,158 | 0 | 350 | $90.8M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 20.4/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$11.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Lightning Very Low
Hail Very 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 Missouri
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cooper County, Missouri had?
Cooper County, Missouri has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2025. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cooper County?
The most common disaster type in Cooper County is Severe Storm, with 2 declarations.
How does Cooper County's disaster risk compare to the Missouri average?
Cooper County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 0% higher than the Missouri county average of 2.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 47% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cooper County received?
Cooper County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 2 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Missouri?
The most common storm types in Missouri include Thunderstorm Wind (7,277 events), Hail (4,904 events), Flash Flood (2,644 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Cooper County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Cooper County was 2021, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cooper County?
Cooper County's 2 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cooper County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cooper County, Missouri has an overall risk score of 20.4 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $11.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cooper County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cooper County is Heat Wave (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Drought (Relatively Moderate) and Tornado (Relatively Low). 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 Cooper County
Cooper County, MO has 2 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 0% above the Missouri county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 2) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Missouri 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.