FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
Oklahoma · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Custer County, OK
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Ice Storm.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 62
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Ice Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Custer County ranks in the riskiest 38% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 57% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Low, based on 4 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2021, most often severe ice storm, 4% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 38%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 4
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 3
- severe ice storm 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
4 Top 43% higher than 57% 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 Oklahoma county average
How disaster-prone is Custer County?
Declaration frequency
Custer 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 8% below the Oklahoma county average of 4.3 and 4% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Ice Storm, with 3 of 4 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 62.0/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $18.8M in annualized losses), and a Relatively High 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, Ice Storm stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Custer 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
-8%
State avg: 4.3
vs. National Avg
+4%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
1.3
Over 3 years
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
40039
OK state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Ice Storm 3
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 | |
| 2021 | 3 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4791 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-06-14 |
| 4587 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-24 |
| 3555 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-17 |
| 4575 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2020-12-21 |
Storm Events in Oklahoma
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 7,064 | 0 | 1 | $23.4M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,446 | 7 | 40 | $205.8M |
| Drought | 3,877 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Heat | 2,668 | 7 | 428 | $0 |
| Excessive Heat | 1,973 | 2 | 482 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 62.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$18.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Ice Storm Very High
Tornado Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Hurricane 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 Custer County, Oklahoma had?
Custer 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 Custer County?
The most common disaster type in Custer County is Severe Ice Storm, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (1).
How does Custer County's disaster risk compare to the Oklahoma average?
Custer County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 8% lower than the Oklahoma county average of 4.3 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 4% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Custer County received?
Custer 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 (7,064 events), Thunderstorm Wind (6,446 events), Drought (3,877 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Custer County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Custer County was 2021, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Custer County?
Custer 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 Custer County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Custer County, Oklahoma has an overall risk score of 62.0 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $18.8M 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 Ice Storm (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Relatively High) and Hail (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 Custer County
Custer County, OK runs 8% below the Oklahoma county average for federal disaster declarations (4 vs 4), a low historical load overall.
- 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.
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.