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Fayette County, IN

1 FEMA disaster declarations (2026–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.

1
FEMA declarations
0
Major disasters
33
NRI risk · Very Low
Winter Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Fayette County in the top 67% 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 Fayette County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Indiana county average and the national county average.

Fayette County
1
Indiana county avg
1.4
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Fayette County?

Fayette County, Indiana has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2026 and 2026, of which 0 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 29% below the Indiana county average of 1.4 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 Winter Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 33.5/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $9.8M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Moderate and community resilience scores Relatively Moderate — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Tornado (Relatively Moderate).

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 Fayette 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 Fayette County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Very Low

vs. Indiana Avg

-29%

State avg: 1.4

vs. National Avg

-73%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Fayette County

Fayette County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 8, Tornado 48, Wildfire 8, Drought 25, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 25. Overall composite 16 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 16 composite
Fayette County NRI risk profile FIPS 18041 · composite 16/100 (Low)

The radar plots Fayette 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.

FEMA Records

1

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

18041

IN 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 Fayette County by incident type.

Winter Storm 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Emergency — 1 100.0%

of all 1 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Fayette County.

Year Declarations
2026 1

Disaster Declarations

All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Fayette County, Indiana.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3641 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-24

Storm Events in Indiana

NOAA severe weather data for Indiana (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 5,600 17 84 $63.6M
Hail 1,774 0 0 $1.8M
Winter Weather 1,278 33 82 $2.8M
Flood 917 15 3 $16.1M
Flash Flood 731 14 5 $106.0M

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 Fayette County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 33.5/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$9.8M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Moderate

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Fayette County.

Tornado Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Very Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Wildfire 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 Indiana

Other Indiana counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Fayette County, Indiana had?
Fayette County, Indiana has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2026 to 2026.
What is the most common disaster type in Fayette County?
The most common disaster type in Fayette County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Fayette County's disaster risk compare to the Indiana average?
Fayette County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 29% lower than the Indiana county average of 1.4 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Indiana?
The most common storm types in Indiana include Thunderstorm Wind (5,600 events), Hail (1,774 events), Winter Weather (1,278 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Fayette County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Fayette 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 Fayette County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Fayette County, Indiana has an overall risk score of 33.5 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $9.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Fayette County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Fayette County is Tornado (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Low) and Strong Wind (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 Fayette County

Fayette County, IN has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a very low historical disaster load, 29% below the Indiana county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 1) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Indiana 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.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

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