FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
The data below is historical (NOAA Storm Events / FEMA), not a live alert. For current warnings and evacuation orders, check the National Weather Service, Ready.gov, or FEMA.gov.
New York · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Erie County, NY
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 2
- Major disasters
- 98
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Winter Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Erie County in the top 2% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 59% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Erie County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the New York county average and the national county average.
- Erie County
- 4
- New York county avg
- 3
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Erie County?
Erie County, New York has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2023, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.3 declarations per year across a 3-year record, or roughly 36% above the New York county average of 3.0 and 7% above 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 2 of 4 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively High (composite score 97.7/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively High equivalent to roughly $286.0M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Moderate and community resilience scores Very High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Cold Wave (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 Erie 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 Erie County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Low
vs. New York Avg
+36%
State avg: 3.0
vs. National Avg
+7%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.3
Over 3 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Erie County
The radar plots Erie 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
36029
NY state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 4 FEMA disaster declarations in Erie County by incident type.
Winter Storm 2
Snowstorm 1
Biological 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 2 50.0%
of all 4 declarations
Emergency - 2 50.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Erie County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 4 FEMA disaster declarations for Erie County, New York.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4694 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2023-03-15 |
| 3590 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2022-12-26 |
| 3589 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2022-11-20 |
| 4480 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-20 |
Storm Events in New York
NOAA severe weather data for New York (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,930 | 6 | 50 | $51.9M |
| Winter Weather | 2,595 | 10 | 25 | $728.0K |
| Flash Flood | 1,959 | 24 | 3 | $676.3M |
| Strong Wind | 1,657 | 4 | 13 | $9.2M |
| Winter Storm | 1,349 | 13 | 2 | $4.9M |
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 Erie County.
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 97.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$286.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Erie County.
Cold Wave Very High
Winter Weather Very High
Tornado Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Hail 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 New York
Other New York counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Erie County, New York had?
Erie County, New York has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2023. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Erie County?
The most common disaster type in Erie County is Winter Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (1), Biological (1).
How does Erie County's disaster risk compare to the New York average?
Erie County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 36% higher than the New York county average of 3.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Erie County received?
Erie County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 50% of all 4 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in New York?
The most common storm types in New York include Thunderstorm Wind (8,930 events), Winter Weather (2,595 events), Flash Flood (1,959 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Erie County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Erie County was 2023, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2023.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Erie County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Erie County has a low disaster risk level with 4 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Erie County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Erie County, New York has an overall risk score of 97.7 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $286.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Erie County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Erie County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Very High) and Tornado (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 Erie County
Erie County, NY has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 36% above the New York county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 4) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. New York 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.