FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Montana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Custer County, MT
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 42
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Custer County ranks safer than 42% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 0% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Very Low, based on 1 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2020, most often fire, 74% below the national county average of 4.
- Safer than 42%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 1
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 1
- fire declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Custer County compare?
Custer County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
1 0th percentile higher than 0% of 2,791 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 · 2026-07-25
Custer County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Montana county average
How disaster-prone is Custer County?
Declaration frequency
Custer County, Montana has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2020, 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 60% below the Montana county average of 2.5 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Fire, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 42.1/100 for this county (Very Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Very Low (roughly $10.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Relatively High) and community resilience (Relatively Low) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Cold Wave carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Custer 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. Montana Avg
-60%
State avg: 2.5
vs. National Avg
-74%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Custer County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Custer 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
30017
MT 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5345 | SNIDER/RICE FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2020-09-03 |
Storm Events in Montana
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,597 | 2 | 3 | $7.8M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,005 | 6 | 38 | $15.4M |
| Hail | 2,438 | 0 | 0 | $5.7M |
| Winter Storm | 1,763 | 21 | 29 | $11.2M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,055 | 6 | 3 | $253.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 42.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$10.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Drought Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Ice Storm 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 Montana
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Custer County, Montana had?
Custer County, Montana has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2020.
What is the most common disaster type in Custer County?
The most common disaster type in Custer County is Fire, with 1 declaration.
How does Custer County's disaster risk compare to the Montana average?
Custer County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 60% lower than the Montana county average of 2.5 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Montana?
The most common storm types in Montana include High Wind (4,597 events), Thunderstorm Wind (3,005 events), Hail (2,438 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Custer County?
Custer 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 Custer County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Custer County, Montana has an overall risk score of 42.1 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $10.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Custer County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Custer County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Relatively High) and Wildfire (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 Custer County
Custer County, MT runs 60% below the Montana county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 2), a very low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is fire management (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Montana 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. 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 national statistics report, or report a data error.