FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cowlitz County, WA
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 90
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cowlitz County in the top 10% 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 Cowlitz County compare?
- Cowlitz County
- 4
- Washington county avg
- 5.8
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cowlitz County?
Cowlitz County, Washington has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2024, of which 4 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.0 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 31% below the Washington county average of 5.8 and 7% above the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 2 of 4 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 90.3/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $88.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Volcanic Activity stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Taken together, Cowlitz 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. Washington Avg
-31%
State avg: 5.8
vs. National Avg
+7%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.0
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Cowlitz County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Cowlitz 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
53015
WA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 2
Flood 1
Biological 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 4 100.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4775 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-28 |
| 4650 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWSTORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODIN | DR | Flood | 2022-03-29 |
| 4593 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2021-04-08 |
| 4481 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
Storm Events in Washington
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,736 | 5 | 13 | $2.4M |
| High Wind | 647 | 15 | 6 | $1.1B |
| Wildfire | 337 | 4 | 4 | $2.3B |
| Winter Weather | 281 | 9 | 62 | $1.1M |
| Flood | 261 | 4 | 0 | $391.7M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 90.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$88.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Volcanic Activity Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Very Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Lightning 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
Counties with Similar Risk in Washington
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cowlitz County, Washington had?
Cowlitz County, Washington has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2024. Of these, 4 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cowlitz County?
The most common disaster type in Cowlitz County is Severe Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (1), Biological (1).
How does Cowlitz County's disaster risk compare to the Washington average?
Cowlitz County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 31% lower than the Washington county average of 5.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cowlitz County received?
Cowlitz County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 4 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Washington?
The most common storm types in Washington include Heavy Snow (1,736 events), High Wind (647 events), Wildfire (337 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Cowlitz County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Cowlitz County was 2020, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cowlitz County?
Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cowlitz County, Washington has an overall risk score of 90.3 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $88.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cowlitz County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cowlitz County is Volcanic Activity (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively Moderate) and Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate). 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 Cowlitz County
Cowlitz County, WA has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 31% below the Washington county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (4 of 4) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Washington 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.