FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Colorado · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Douglas County, CO
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2023–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 89
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Flood
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Douglas County in the top 11% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Douglas County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Colorado county average and the national county average.
- Douglas County
- 1
- Colorado county avg
- 1.6
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Douglas County?
Douglas County, Colorado has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2023, of which 1 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 36% below the Colorado county average of 1.6 and 73% 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 Flood, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Moderate (composite score 88.7/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Moderate equivalent to roughly $113.5M 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 (Very High).
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 Douglas County at a very 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 Douglas County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Colorado Avg
-36%
State avg: 1.6
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
—
—
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Douglas County
The radar plots Douglas 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.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
08035
CO state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 1 FEMA disaster declarations in Douglas County by incident type.
Flood 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Douglas County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Douglas County, Colorado.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4731 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR | Flood | 2023-08-25 |
Storm Events in Colorado
NOAA severe weather data for Colorado (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 5,405 | 0 | 100 | $2.9B |
| Winter Weather | 2,815 | 3 | 23 | $22.5K |
| High Wind | 2,148 | 5 | 6 | $21.2M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,995 | 2 | 11 | $5.7M |
| Winter Storm | 1,532 | 0 | 0 | $848.0K |
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 Douglas County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 88.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$113.5M/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 Douglas County.
Lightning Very High
Hail Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively High
Winter Weather Very High
Tornado Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Avalanche 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 Colorado
Other Colorado counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Douglas County, Colorado had?
Douglas County, Colorado has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2023. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Douglas County?
The most common disaster type in Douglas County is Flood, with 1 declaration.
How does Douglas County's disaster risk compare to the Colorado average?
Douglas County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 36% lower than the Colorado county average of 1.6 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Douglas County received?
Douglas County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Colorado?
The most common storm types in Colorado include Hail (5,405 events), Winter Weather (2,815 events), High Wind (2,148 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Douglas County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Douglas County has a very low disaster risk level with 1 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Douglas County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Douglas County, Colorado has an overall risk score of 88.7 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $113.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Douglas County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Douglas County is Lightning (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Hail (Relatively High) and Wildfire (Relatively High). 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 Douglas County
Douglas County, CO has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a very low historical disaster load, 36% below the Colorado county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Colorado 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.
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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
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