FEMA Records
12
Total declarations
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
DeSoto County, FL
12 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 12
- FEMA declarations
- 6
- Major disasters
- 82
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
DeSoto County ranks in the riskiest 18% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 96% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Moderate, based on 12 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2021, most often hurricane, 212% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 18%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 12
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 7
- hurricane 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 DeSoto County compare?
DeSoto County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
12 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
DeSoto County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Florida county average
How disaster-prone is DeSoto County?
Declaration frequency
DeSoto County, Florida has recorded 12 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2025, of which 6 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 3.0 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 7% above the Florida county average of 11.2 and 212% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 7 of 12 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 81.6/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $26.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Hurricane stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators place DeSoto County at a high relative risk level, its federal disaster history outpaces most of the country, and it is worth pairing that record with forward-looking hazard maps before making insurance or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
High
vs. Florida Avg
+7%
State avg: 11.2
vs. National Avg
+212%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
3.0
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - DeSoto County
How to read this radar
The radar plots DeSoto 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
12027
FL state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 7
Tropical Storm 4
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 - 6 50.0%
of all 12 declarations
Emergency - 6 50.0%
of all 12 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4834 | HURRICANE MILTON | DR | Hurricane | 2024-10-11 |
| 3622 | HURRICANE MILTON | EM | Hurricane | 2024-10-07 |
| 4828 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-28 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4734 | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR | Hurricane | 2023-08-31 |
| 3596 | TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | EM | Tropical Storm | 2023-08-28 |
| 4680 | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR | Hurricane | 2022-12-13 |
| 3587 | TROPICAL STORM NICOLE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2022-11-08 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 3561 | TROPICAL STORM ELSA | EM | Severe Storm | 2021-07-04 |
Storm Events in Florida
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,945 | 21 | 52 | $31.8M |
| Hail | 1,205 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| Heavy Rain | 1,059 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 976 | 15 | 0 | $3.1B |
| Tropical Storm | 874 | 107 | 6 | $5.2B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 81.6/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$26.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Hurricane Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Very Low
Hail Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Winter Weather 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 Florida
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has DeSoto County, Florida had?
DeSoto County, Florida has received 12 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2025. Of these, 6 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in DeSoto County?
The most common disaster type in DeSoto County is Hurricane, with 7 declarations. Other disaster types include Tropical Storm (4), Severe Storm (1).
How does DeSoto County's disaster risk compare to the Florida average?
DeSoto County has 12 disaster declarations, which is 7% higher than the Florida county average of 11.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 212% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has DeSoto County received?
DeSoto County has received 6 major disaster declarations, representing 50% of all 12 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Florida?
The most common storm types in Florida include Thunderstorm Wind (5,945 events), Hail (1,205 events), Heavy Rain (1,059 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in DeSoto County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in DeSoto County was 2023, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for DeSoto County?
DeSoto County has recorded 12 FEMA disaster declarations, a volume FEMA data classifies as high-risk, well above what most U.S. counties see over the same period.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for DeSoto County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, DeSoto County, Florida has an overall risk score of 81.6 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $26.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to DeSoto County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in DeSoto County is Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Lightning (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 DeSoto County
DeSoto County, FL runs 7% above the Florida county average for federal disaster declarations (12 vs 11), a high historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (6 of 12) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Florida 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.