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Texas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Franklin County, TX

3 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Ice Storm.

3
FEMA declarations
2
Major disasters
25
NRI risk · Very Low
Severe Ice Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Franklin County in the top 75% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 42% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Franklin County compare?

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

Franklin County
3
Texas county avg
3.3
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Franklin County?

Franklin County, Texas has recorded 3 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 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 1.5 declarations per year across a 2-year record, or roughly 9% below the Texas county average of 3.3 and 20% 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 Severe Ice Storm, with 2 of 3 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 24.8/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $6.8M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively High and community resilience scores Relatively High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Ice Storm (Relatively 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Low

vs. Texas Avg

-9%

State avg: 3.3

vs. National Avg

-20%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

1.5

Over 2 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Franklin County

Franklin 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 48, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 70. Overall composite 27 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 27 composite
Franklin County NRI risk profile FIPS 48159 · composite 27/100 (Moderate)

The radar plots Franklin 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

3

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

48159

TX state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 3 FEMA disaster declarations in Franklin County by incident type.

Severe Ice Storm 2
Winter Storm 1

Declaration Types

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

Major Disaster - 2 66.7%

of all 3 declarations

Emergency - 1 33.3%

of all 3 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Franklin County.

Year Declarations
2023 1
2021 2

Disaster Declarations

All 3 FEMA disaster declarations for Franklin County, Texas.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4705 SEVERE WINTER STORM DR Winter Storm 2023-04-21
4586 SEVERE WINTER STORMS DR Severe Ice Storm 2021-02-19
3554 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Severe Ice Storm 2021-02-14

Storm Events in Texas

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

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Hail 15,525 0 20 $7.4B
Thunderstorm Wind 11,498 43 156 $400.2M
Drought 7,643 0 0 $86.0K
Flash Flood 5,352 483 24 $48.0B
Heat 4,426 121 423 $0

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 Franklin County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 24.8/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$6.8M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively High

Community Resilience

Relatively High

Hazard Risk Breakdown

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

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

Other Texas counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Franklin County, Texas had?
Franklin County, Texas has received 3 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2023. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Franklin County?
The most common disaster type in Franklin County is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Winter Storm (1).
How does Franklin County's disaster risk compare to the Texas average?
Franklin County has 3 disaster declarations, which is 9% lower than the Texas county average of 3.3 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 20% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Franklin County received?
Franklin County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 67% of all 3 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Texas?
The most common storm types in Texas include Hail (15,525 events), Thunderstorm Wind (11,498 events), Drought (7,643 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Franklin County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Franklin County was 2021, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2023.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Franklin County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Franklin County has a low disaster risk level with 3 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Franklin County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Franklin County, Texas has an overall risk score of 24.8 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $6.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Franklin County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Franklin County is Ice Storm (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Relatively Moderate) and Hail (Relatively Low). 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 Franklin County

Franklin County, TX has 3 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 9% below the Texas county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 3) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Texas 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 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.