FEMA Records
40
Very high volume
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Escambia County, FL
40 FEMA disaster declarations (1970-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 40
- FEMA declarations
- 24
- Major disasters
- 95
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Escambia County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 40 declarations, more than 97% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 1% below the Florida county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 5%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 5%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 40
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 16,498
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 12033 · Escambia County 40 declarations · rank 112/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-HEAVY 40
- MAJOR-MID 60%
- RANK-UPPER #112
- PHOTO-FINISH Essex
- NRI-HIGH 95
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-BELOW -1%
Nearest declaration peer: Essex, MA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Florida state profile
Escambia County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Escambia County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Escambia · this county
Escambia · this county
40 declarations
- Essex · near
Essex · near
40 declarations
- Okfuskee · near
Okfuskee · near
40 declarations
- Tulsa · near
Tulsa · near
40 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Escambia County carries 40 FEMA declaration records, ranked 112 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Escambia County ranks in the national declaration registry
Escambia County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Escambia County
40 Top 3% higher than 97% 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 · 2026-08-25
Escambia County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Escambia County is led by Hurricane (about $120.9M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Lightning carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very 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 Escambia County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 16,498 claims and $731.9M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $44.4K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
Start with the state benchmark: a Florida county averages 40.4 federal declaration records, while Escambia County has 40. The gap is 1% 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.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 95.1/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $173.7M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Lightning stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 85 times per year here, based on 586,762 historical events on record.
71 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Escambia County, FL · 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) Very High
29/30
40 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.9x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
12/25
40 declarations (1.0x state county average of 40)
Major Disaster Share High
15/25
24 of 40 declarations are major disasters (60%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Escambia County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Escambia 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
60%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
95
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Escambia 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Very High | an average of 85 times per year |
| Hurricane | Very High | roughly once every 4 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 8.9 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.8 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 378 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.6 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 921 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 15 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 63 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 24
Severe Storm 5
Flood 4
Tropical Storm 3
Biological 2
Fire 2
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Escambia County's federal record, 60% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
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 - 24 60.0%
of all 40 declarations
Emergency - 15 37.5%
of all 40 declarations
Fire Management - 1 2.5%
of all 40 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 3 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 4 | |
Show 6 earlier declaration years
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 2 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 40 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 40 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4828 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-28 |
| 3615 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 3562 | TROPICAL STORM FRED | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-16 |
| 4564 | HURRICANE SALLY | DR | Hurricane | 2020-09-23 |
| 3546 | HURRICANE SALLY | EM | Hurricane | 2020-09-15 |
| 4486 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3432 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3419 | HURRICANE DORIAN | EM | Hurricane | 2019-08-30 |
| 3405 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM | Hurricane | 2018-10-09 |
| 3395 | HURRICANE NATE | EM | Hurricane | 2017-10-08 |
| 4337 | HURRICANE IRMA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-10 |
| 3385 | HURRICANE IRMA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-05 |
| 4177 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-05-06 |
| 4084 | HURRICANE ISAAC | DR | Hurricane | 2012-10-18 |
| 1831 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-04-21 |
| 1806 | HURRICANE GUSTAV | DR | Hurricane | 2008-10-27 |
Show 20 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3288 | TROPICAL STORM FAY | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-08-21 |
| 3220 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-05 |
| 1602 | HURRICANE KATRINA | DR | Hurricane | 2005-08-28 |
| 1595 | HURRICANE DENNIS | DR | Hurricane | 2005-07-10 |
| 1551 | HURRICANE IVAN | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-16 |
| 1545 | HURRICANE FRANCES | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-04 |
| 1539 | TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND HURRICANE CHARLEY | DR | Hurricane | 2004-08-13 |
| 2361 | FL - ESCAMBIA FIRE COMPLEX - 05/16/01 | FM | Fire | 2001-05-16 |
| 1344 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-10-03 |
| 1249 | HURRICANE GEORGES | DR | Hurricane | 1998-09-28 |
| 3131 | HURRICANE GRORGES | EM | Hurricane | 1998-09-25 |
| 1223 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARD | DR | Fire | 1998-06-18 |
| 1195 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-01-06 |
| 1069 | HURRICANE OPAL | DR | Hurricane | 1995-10-04 |
| 1062 | HURRICANE ERIN | DR | Hurricane | 1995-08-10 |
| 3114 | TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO | EM | Flood | 1994-07-08 |
| 862 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-04-03 |
| 600 | HURRICANE FREDERIC | DR | Hurricane | 1979-09-13 |
| 3075 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | EM | Flood | 1979-03-24 |
| 289 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-07-03 |
Storm Events in Florida
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Escambia County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,243 | 17 | 45 | $24.8M |
| Hail | 1,012 | 0 | 0 | $564.6K |
| Heavy Rain | 865 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 826 | 9 | 0 | $2.0B |
| Tropical Storm | 767 | 92 | 6 | $4.9B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
16,498
Total Paid
$731.9M
Avg Per Claim
$44.4K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 95.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$173.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Very High
Hurricane Very High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Ice Storm 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: Lightning
Lightning is modeled as a high-frequency, low-per-event hazard: strike counts are large, but each strike affects a very small area. Its aggregate cost accumulates through structure fires, electrical and electronic damage, and it is one of the few hazards whose risk is essentially continuous through the season rather than episodic.
Worth noting for Escambia County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Lightning carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Hurricane. 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
Escambia County's closest FEMA peer: Essex County, MA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Escambia County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Escambia County shows 40 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Escambia County: 24 of 40 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Escambia County: NRI composite 95.1 (Relatively High).
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 Escambia County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Escambia County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 95.1 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 40. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Escambia County's NFIP claims file (16,498 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Escambia County?
The most common disaster type in Escambia County is Hurricane, with 24 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (5), Flood (4), Tropical Storm (3).
How does Escambia County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Florida average?
The typical Florida county has 40.4 FEMA declaration records; Escambia County has 40, or 1% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 93% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Escambia County received?
Escambia County has received 24 major disaster declarations, representing 60% of all 40 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Escambia County filed?
Escambia County has 16,498 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $731.9M in payments, with an average of $44.4K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Escambia County?
No. In Escambia County, Lightning has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Hurricane leads Expected Annual Loss at about $120.9M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Escambia County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Escambia County was 1998, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1970 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Escambia County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Escambia County, Florida has an overall risk score of 95.1 out of 100 (Relatively High). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Moderate; on community resilience, Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $173.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Escambia County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Escambia County is Lightning (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Very High) and Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts lightning here at an average of 85 times per year, drawn from 586,762 historical events on record. FEMA derives these ratings from historical event frequency, the assets exposed, and the community's vulnerability profile.
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.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Escambia County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Florida profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events