FEMA Records
28
High volume
New Hampshire · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Coos County, NH
28 FEMA disaster declarations (1973-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 28
- FEMA declarations
- 17
- Major disasters
- 73
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Coos County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 28 declarations, more than 81% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 12% below the New Hampshire county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 27%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 27%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 28
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 95
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Coos County compare?
Coos County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
28 Top 19% higher than 81% 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 · 2026-08-03
Coos County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the New Hampshire county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Coos County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $15.1M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Avalanche carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very 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 Coos County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 95 paid claims, totaling $669.3K. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $7.0K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a New Hampshire county averages 31.9 federal declaration records, while Coos County has 28. The gap is 12% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 72.8/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $27.0M in annualized losses), and a Relatively Moderate social-vulnerability profile combined with Relatively Moderate community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Avalanche stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 4 years here, based on 8 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
Nationally, Coos County's 28 FEMA records form a high-volume history; within New Hampshire, however, the count is 12% below the county mean. 17 entries carry the Major Disaster classification. The largest incident group is Severe Storm, appearing 10 times. The full 51-year record averages 0.5 declarations annually. A DR label alone does not say whether Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both followed.
61 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Coos County, NH · 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) High
20/30
28 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
11/25
28 declarations (0.9x state county average of 32)
Major Disaster Share High
15/25
17 of 28 declarations are major disasters (61%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Coos County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. New Hampshire Avg
-12%
State avg: 31.9
vs. National Avg
+35%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 51 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Coos 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
61%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
73
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Coos 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very High | roughly once every 4 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 24 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 6.8 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 2.5 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.4 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | roughly once every 18 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 4 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 19 times per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 813 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 73,642 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 0.3 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 1 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 10
Flood 6
Hurricane 5
Snowstorm 4
Biological 2
Severe Ice Storm 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Coos County's record, 36% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
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 - 17 60.7%
of all 28 declarations
Emergency - 11 39.3%
of all 28 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
Show 5 earlier declaration years
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 28 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 28 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4812 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-08-20 |
| 4761 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-02-27 |
| 4740 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2023-09-14 |
| 4693 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-03-15 |
| 4516 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-03 |
| 3445 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4355 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-01-02 |
| 4329 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-08-09 |
| 4095 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-11-28 |
| 3360 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-30 |
| 3344 | SEVERE STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2011-11-01 |
| 4026 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-03 |
| 3333 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-27 |
| 4006 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2011-07-22 |
| 1812 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2009-01-02 |
| 3297 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-12-13 |
| 1787 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-09-05 |
| 1695 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-04-27 |
| 3258 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-19 |
| 3208 | RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-03-30 |
Show 8 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3193 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2004-01-15 |
| 3166 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-03-28 |
| 1199 | SEVERE ICE STORM, RAINS AND HIGH WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-01-15 |
| 1077 | EXCESSIVE RAINFALL, HIGH WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-01-03 |
| 3101 | BLIZZARDS, HIGH WINDS & RECORD SNOWFALL | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
| 876 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-08-29 |
| 3073 | FLOODING | EM | Flood | 1979-03-15 |
| 399 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-07-11 |
Storm Events in New Hampshire
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Coos County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 921 | 3 | 48 | $1.9M |
| Heavy Snow | 344 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Storm | 300 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Hail | 278 | 0 | 0 | $17.1K |
| Flash Flood | 256 | 0 | 1 | $26.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
95
Total Paid
$669.3K
Avg Per Claim
$7.0K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 72.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$27.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Avalanche Very High
Winter Weather Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Hail Very Low
Drought No Rating
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Avalanche
Avalanche is the most geographically restricted hazard in the model, limited to steep terrain holding seasonal snow. Its exposure concentrates on mountain roads, rail corridors and backcountry recreation rather than on the built environment generally.
Worth noting for Coos County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Avalanche carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Severe Storm. 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
Coos County's closest FEMA peer: Arroyo Municipio, PR
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Coos County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Coos County shows 28 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Coos County: 17 of 28 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Coos County: NRI composite 72.8 (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 Coos County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Coos County's NFIP claims file (95 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).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Coos County?
The most common disaster type in Coos County is Severe Storm, with 10 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (6), Hurricane (5), Snowstorm (4).
How does Coos County's FEMA declaration record compare with the New Hampshire average?
The typical New Hampshire county has 31.9 FEMA declaration records; Coos County has 28, or 12% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 35% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Coos County received?
Coos County has received 17 major disaster declarations, representing 61% of all 28 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Coos County filed?
Coos County has 95 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $669.3K in payments, with an average of $7.0K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Coos County?
No. In Coos County, Avalanche has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $15.1M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Coos County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Coos County was 2011, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1973 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Coos County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Coos County, New Hampshire has an overall risk score of 72.8 out of 100 (Relatively Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Moderate; on community resilience, Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $27.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Coos County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Coos County as of the latest release is Avalanche (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Relatively High) and Cold Wave (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts avalanche here at roughly once every 4 years, drawn from 8 historical events on record. 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.
What this means for Coos County
Against a New Hampshire county mean of 32 declarations, Coos County, NH records 28, or 12% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as high activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (17 of 28) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. New Hampshire overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 81% of recorded county totals, but its own New Hampshire benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- Use the data guide to separate this mid-volume insurance-claims file from declaration counts and modeled NRI risk. Disaster-data guide
A below-average federal record is not a safety guarantee. Use National Weather Service alerts and local emergency-management notices for present conditions, not this historical comparison.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. 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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.