FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
Oklahoma · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cotton County, OK
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Ice Storm.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 5
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Ice Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cotton County in the top 95% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 59% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Cotton County compare?
- Cotton County
- 4
- Oklahoma county avg
- 4.2
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cotton County?
Cotton County, Oklahoma has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2024, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.3 declarations per year across a 3-year record, or roughly 6% below the Oklahoma county average of 4.2 and 7% above the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 of 4 declarations falling under this category. This county sits at the very bottom of FEMA's National Risk Index nationally, a composite score of 4.9/100 (rated Very Low). Projected losses are minimal, Expected Annual Loss reads Very Low (roughly $2.9M in annualized losses), and the county's exposure is shaped by a Relatively Moderate social-vulnerability profile and Relatively Low community resilience. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Drought carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Taken together, Cotton 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. Oklahoma Avg
-6%
State avg: 4.2
vs. National Avg
+7%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.3
Over 3 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cotton County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Cotton 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
40033
OK state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Ice Storm 2
Tornado 1
Severe Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 3 75.0%
of all 4 declarations
Emergency - 1 25.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4776 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 2024-04-30 |
| 4721 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-07-19 |
| 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
| 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
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 4.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$2.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Drought Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Lightning 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
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cotton County, Oklahoma had?
Cotton County, Oklahoma has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2024. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cotton County?
The most common disaster type in Cotton County is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Tornado (1), Severe Storm (1).
How does Cotton County's disaster risk compare to the Oklahoma average?
Cotton County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 6% lower than the Oklahoma county average of 4.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cotton County received?
Cotton County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 75% of all 4 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 Cotton County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Cotton County was 2021, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cotton County?
Cotton County's 4 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 Cotton County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cotton County, Oklahoma has an overall risk score of 4.9 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $2.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cotton County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cotton County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Low) and Ice Storm (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 Cotton County
Cotton County, OK has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 6% below the Oklahoma county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 4) - 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 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.