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Indiana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Decatur County, IN

2 FEMA disaster declarations (2025–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.

2
FEMA declarations
1
Major disasters
23
NRI risk · Very Low
Winter Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Decatur County in the top 77% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 22% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Decatur County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Indiana county average and the national county average.

Decatur County
2
Indiana county avg
1.4
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Decatur County?

Decatur County, Indiana has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2025 and 2026, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 2.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 42% above the Indiana county average of 1.4 and 47% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency, smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 2 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 23.1/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $12.2M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very Low and community resilience scores Relatively High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Lightning (Relatively Moderate).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Decatur County at a low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps, flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management, before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How Decatur County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Low

vs. Indiana Avg

+42%

State avg: 1.4

vs. National Avg

-47%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

2.0

Over 1 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Decatur County

Decatur County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 8, Tornado 25, Wildfire 8, Drought 25, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 25. Overall composite 13 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 13 composite
Decatur County NRI risk profile FIPS 18031 · composite 13/100 (Low)

The radar plots Decatur 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.

FEMA Records

2

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

18031

IN state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 2 FEMA disaster declarations in Decatur County by incident type.

Winter Storm 1
Flood 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Emergency - 1 50.0%

of all 2 declarations

Major Disaster - 1 50.0%

of all 2 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Decatur County.

Year Declarations
2026 1
2025 1

Disaster Declarations

All 2 FEMA disaster declarations for Decatur County, Indiana.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3641 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-24
4882 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING DR Flood 2025-07-22

Storm Events in Indiana

NOAA severe weather data for Indiana (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 5,600 17 84 $63.6M
Hail 1,774 0 0 $1.8M
Winter Weather 1,278 33 82 $2.8M
Flood 917 15 3 $16.1M
Flash Flood 731 14 5 $106.0M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Decatur County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 23.1/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$12.2M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very Low

Community Resilience

Relatively High

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Decatur County.

Lightning Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Wildfire 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 Indiana

Other Indiana counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Decatur County, Indiana had?
Decatur County, Indiana has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2025 to 2026. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Decatur County?
The most common disaster type in Decatur County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Flood (1).
How does Decatur County's disaster risk compare to the Indiana average?
Decatur County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 42% higher than the Indiana county average of 1.4 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 47% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Decatur County received?
Decatur County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 50% of all 2 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Indiana?
The most common storm types in Indiana include Thunderstorm Wind (5,600 events), Hail (1,774 events), Winter Weather (1,278 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Decatur County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Decatur County was 2025, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2025 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Decatur County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Decatur County has a low disaster risk level with 2 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Decatur County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Decatur County, Indiana has an overall risk score of 23.1 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $12.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Decatur County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Decatur County is Lightning (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Relatively Low) and Earthquake (Very 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 Decatur County

Decatur County, IN has 2 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 42% above the Indiana county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 2) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Indiana 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.

All federal data sources used on this page
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.