FEMA Records
8
Low volume
Colorado · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Dolores County, CO
8 FEMA disaster declarations (1970-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 8
- FEMA declarations
- 5
- Major disasters
- 11
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Start with the local benchmark for Dolores County: 8 FEMA declaration records are 22% below the Colorado county mean, even though the count is higher than 6% of counties in the national registry. On FEMA's distinct National Risk Index model, which combines expected loss with vulnerability and resilience, the county ranks safer than 11%.
- Safer than 11%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 8
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 3
- flood declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Dolores County compare?
Dolores County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
8 6th percentile higher than 6% of 3,266 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 · 2026-08-03
Dolores County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Colorado county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Dolores County is led by Avalanche (about $1.8M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Dolores County's hazard record show?
Declaration frequency
The state comparison is the clearest context for Dolores County's moderate federal record. Its 8 declarations sit 22% below the Colorado county mean, with 5 Major Disaster entries among them. 3 records concern Flood, the file's most frequent incident type. Spread across 50 years, the registry rate is 0.2 per year. FEMA reports authorized programs separately from the DR, EM, and FM codes.
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's National Risk Index places this county in the low end of the national distribution, composite score 11.3/100 (Very Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $4.4M in annualized losses). Two modifiers shape how that exposure becomes real-world harm here: social vulnerability (Relatively Moderate) and community resilience (Very Low). Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Landslide stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 3 years here.
Reading the federal records together
No paid-claim row for this county appears in the NFIP county table used by PlainHazard. That absence is not evidence that flooding never occurred: the register observes claims under federal flood-insurance policies, not uninsured losses, emergency reports, or every flood outside the program. The FEMA declaration history below is therefore the available federal-action record on this page.
Start with the state benchmark: a Colorado county averages 10.2 federal declaration records, while Dolores County has 8. The gap is 22% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
45 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Dolores County, CO · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Low
6/30
8 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
10/25
8 declarations (0.8x state county average of 10)
Major Disaster Share High
16/25
5 of 8 declarations are major disasters (63%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in Dolores County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
Moderate
vs. Colorado Avg
-22%
State avg: 10.2
vs. National Avg
-61%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.2
Over 50 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Dolores County
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
63%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
11
Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Dolores County?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 546 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 58 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 94 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 986 years |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | an average of 32 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 0.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 62 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 67 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 45 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 3
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
Fire 1
Drought 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Dolores County's record, 38% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 5 62.5%
of all 8 declarations
Emergency - 3 37.5%
of all 8 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 1984 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 8 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 8 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4498 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3436 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3224 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-05 |
| 1421 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2002-06-19 |
| 719 | SEVERE STORMS, MUDSLIDES, LANDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1984-07-27 |
| 3025 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-01-29 |
| 396 | FLOODING & LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 1973-07-06 |
| 293 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-09-22 |
Storm Events in Colorado
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Dolores County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 4,913 | 0 | 100 | $2.9B |
| Winter Weather | 2,620 | 3 | 23 | $22.5K |
| High Wind | 1,992 | 5 | 6 | $20.9M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,741 | 2 | 11 | $5.4M |
| Winter Storm | 1,497 | 0 | 0 | $848.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 11.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$4.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively High
Avalanche Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Riverine Flooding Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Hail Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Landslide
Landslide risk is a function of slope, soil and water, so it is usually a SECOND-ORDER hazard: it is triggered by the rainfall, snowmelt, wildfire burn scars or seismic shaking that came first. That is why a county can carry high landslide exposure whose realized damage is recorded under a flood or storm declaration instead.
Worth noting for Dolores County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Dolores County's closest FEMA peer: Hardin County, IL
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Dolores County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Dolores County shows 8 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Dolores County: 5 of 8 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Dolores County: NRI composite 11.3 (Very Low).
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Dolores County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
FEMA's National Risk Index flags Landslide as the top modeled exposure here (Relatively High); the guide explains how that model differs from declaration counts.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Dolores County?
The most common disaster type in Dolores County is Flood, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Coastal Storm (1), Fire (1).
How does Dolores County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Colorado average?
The typical Colorado county has 10.2 FEMA declaration records; Dolores County has 8, or 22% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 61% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Dolores County received?
Dolores County has received 5 major disaster declarations, representing 63% of all 8 disaster declarations.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Dolores County?
No. In Dolores County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Avalanche leads Expected Annual Loss at about $1.8M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Dolores County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Dolores County was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1970 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Dolores County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Dolores County, Colorado has an overall risk score of 11.3 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $4.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Dolores County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Dolores County is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Avalanche (Relatively High) and Wildfire (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at roughly once every 3 years. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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 Dolores County
Against a Colorado county mean of 10 declarations, Dolores County, CO records 8, or 22% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as moderate activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (5 of 8) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Colorado overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 6% of recorded county totals, but its own Colorado benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- With no NFIP county row, the declaration register and modeled NRI remain distinct evidence rather than substitutes for a claims history. Disaster-data guide
A below-average federal record is not a safety guarantee. Use National Weather Service alerts and local emergency-management notices for present conditions, not this historical comparison.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. 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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.