FEMA Records
30
High volume
Vermont · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Essex County, VT
30 FEMA disaster declarations (1973-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 30
- FEMA declarations
- 25
- Major disasters
- 3
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Essex County. Its 30 FEMA declarations are 4% above the Vermont county mean and exceed the count for 86% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it safer than 3%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Safer than 3%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 30
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 13
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
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 Essex County compare?
Essex County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
30 Top 14% higher than 86% 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
Essex County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Vermont county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Essex County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $2.3M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very Low). 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 Essex County's hazard record show?
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 30 entries for Essex County, including 25 Major Disaster records, 4% above the Vermont county mean. Across the 51-year span, that works out to 0.6 declarations a year. Severe Storm leads the file with 15 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits at the very bottom of FEMA's National Risk Index nationally, a composite score of 3.2/100 (rated Very Low). Projected losses are minimal, Expected Annual Loss reads Very Low (roughly $3.2M in annualized losses), and the county's exposure is shaped by a Very Low social-vulnerability profile and Relatively Low community resilience. Even the county's top-rated hazard, Landslide, only reaches Very Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 1 years here.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 13 claims and $349.6K paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Essex County's 30 federal records stand 4% above the Vermont county mean of 28.8. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
71 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Essex County, VT · 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) High
22/30
30 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
30 declarations (1.0x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share Very High
21/25
25 of 30 declarations are major disasters (83%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Essex County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Vermont Avg
+4%
State avg: 28.8
vs. National Avg
+45%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.6
Over 51 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Essex 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
83%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
3
Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Essex 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 | Very Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 23 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 21 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | an average of 5.2 times per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 845 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 0.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Very Low | an average of 20 times per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 26 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 75,849 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 1 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 15
Flood 8
Hurricane 3
Biological 2
Tropical Storm 1
Severe Ice Storm 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Essex County's record, 50% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
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 - 25 83.3%
of all 30 declarations
Emergency - 5 16.7%
of all 30 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 4 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
Show 3 earlier declaration years
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 30 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 30 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4826 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2024-09-26 |
| 4810 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-08-20 |
| 3609 | TROPICAL DEPRESSION DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-08 |
| 4770 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-19 |
| 4762 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-03-02 |
| 4720 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-07-14 |
| 3595 | FLOODING | EM | Flood | 2023-07-10 |
| 4695 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-03-20 |
| 3567 | TROPICAL STORM HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-22 |
| 4532 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-08 |
| 3437 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4474 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2020-01-17 |
| 4445 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2019-06-14 |
| 4356 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-01-02 |
| 4207 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-02-03 |
| 4178 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2014-06-11 |
| 4163 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2014-01-29 |
| 4120 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2013-06-13 |
| 4022 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-01 |
| 3338 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-29 |
Show 10 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4001 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-07-08 |
| 1995 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-06-15 |
| 1790 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-09-12 |
| 1698 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-04 |
| 1428 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-07-12 |
| 1307 | TROPICAL STORM FLOYD | DR | Severe Storm | 1999-11-10 |
| 1228 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-06-30 |
| 1063 | EXCESSIVE RAINFALL, FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1995-08-16 |
| 840 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1989-09-11 |
| 397 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, & LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 1973-07-06 |
Storm Events in Vermont
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Essex County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | 882 | 7 | 0 | $2.8M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 694 | 3 | 4 | $7.1M |
| Winter Storm | 646 | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Strong Wind | 352 | 0 | 0 | $5.7M |
| Flash Flood | 170 | 5 | 1 | $190.0M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
13
Total Paid
$349.6K
Avg Per Claim
$26.9K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 3.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$3.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Riverine Flooding Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Hail Very Low
Drought No Rating
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 Essex County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide carries the highest modeled rating (Very Low), while the county's declaration history is led by Severe Storm. 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
Essex County's closest FEMA peer: Marshall County, MN
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Essex County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Essex County shows 30 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Essex County: 25 of 30 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Essex County: NRI composite 3.2 (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 Essex County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 30 FEMA declarations, Essex County sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.
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 Essex County?
The most common disaster type in Essex County is Severe Storm, with 15 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (8), Hurricane (3), Biological (2).
How does Essex County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Vermont average?
FEMA lists 30 declaration records for Essex County. That is 4% above the Vermont county mean of 28.8. Its count is also 45% above the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Essex County received?
Essex County has received 25 major disaster declarations, representing 83% of all 30 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Essex County filed?
Essex County has 13 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $349.6K in payments, with an average of $26.9K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Essex County?
No. In Essex County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very Low), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $2.3M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Essex County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Essex County was 2024, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1973 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Essex County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Essex County, Vermont has an overall risk score of 3.2 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $3.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Essex County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Essex County as of the latest release is Landslide (risk rating: Very Low). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Very Low) and Avalanche (Very Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at roughly once every 1 years. 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.
What this means for Essex County
Essex County, VT has 30 federal declaration records, 4% more than the Vermont county mean of 29; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 25 of 30 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Vermont overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Vermont mean and the totals for 86% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- A short NFIP claims file cannot establish low flood exposure; the data guide explains the limits of each federal measure. Disaster-data guide
An above-average declaration count records past federal responses; it does not predict the next event. Current warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.
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.