FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Pennsylvania · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Elk County, PA
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2024–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Tropical Storm.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 45
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Tropical Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Elk County in the top 55% 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 Elk County compare?
- Elk County
- 1
- Pennsylvania county avg
- 1
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Elk County?
Elk County, Pennsylvania has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2024 and 2024, 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 0% above the Pennsylvania county average of 1.0 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Tropical Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 45.2/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Relatively Low (roughly $15.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Relatively Low) and community resilience (Very High) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Lightning carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Taken together, Elk County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Pennsylvania Avg
+0%
State avg: 1.0
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Elk County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Elk 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
42047
PA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Tropical 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 - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4815 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-11 |
Storm Events in Pennsylvania
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 10,986 | 25 | 123 | $121.6M |
| Flash Flood | 2,705 | 23 | 9 | $466.1M |
| Winter Weather | 1,890 | 26 | 288 | $1.0M |
| Hail | 1,532 | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| Winter Storm | 924 | 14 | 17 | $2.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 45.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$15.5M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Hail Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Drought 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 Pennsylvania
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Elk County, Pennsylvania had?
Elk County, Pennsylvania has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2024 to 2024. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Elk County?
The most common disaster type in Elk County is Tropical Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Elk County's disaster risk compare to the Pennsylvania average?
Elk County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 0% higher than the Pennsylvania county average of 1.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Elk County received?
Elk 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 Pennsylvania?
The most common storm types in Pennsylvania include Thunderstorm Wind (10,986 events), Flash Flood (2,705 events), Winter Weather (1,890 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Elk County?
Elk County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Elk County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Elk County, Pennsylvania has an overall risk score of 45.2 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $15.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Elk County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Elk County is Lightning (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Low) and Winter Weather (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 Elk County
Elk County, PA has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 0% above the Pennsylvania county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Pennsylvania 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 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.