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Garrett County, MD

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
16
NRI risk · Very Low
Winter Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Garrett County in the top 84% 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 Garrett County compare?

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

Garrett County
1
Maryland county avg
1.1
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Garrett County?

Garrett County, Maryland 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 11% below the Maryland county average of 1.1 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 16.0/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $5.8M 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 Landslide (Relatively Low).

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

Risk Level

Very Low

vs. Maryland Avg

-11%

State avg: 1.1

vs. National Avg

-73%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Garrett County

Garrett County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 25, Tornado 8, Wildfire 8, Drought 25, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 16 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 16 composite
Garrett County NRI risk profile FIPS 24023 · composite 16/100 (Low)

The radar plots Garrett 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

24023

MD 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 Garrett 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 Garrett County.

Year Declarations
2026 1

Disaster Declarations

All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Garrett County, Maryland.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3634 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-24

Storm Events in Maryland

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

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 4,356 6 48 $109.4M
Winter Weather 1,512 4 26 $95.0K
Flood 1,110 1 0 $1.4M
Flash Flood 902 10 4 $96.3M
Dense Fog 517 0 0 $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 Garrett County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 16.0/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$5.8M/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 Garrett County.

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

Other Maryland counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Garrett County, Maryland had?
Garrett County, Maryland has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2026 to 2026.
What is the most common disaster type in Garrett County?
The most common disaster type in Garrett County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Garrett County's disaster risk compare to the Maryland average?
Garrett County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 11% lower than the Maryland county average of 1.1 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Maryland?
The most common storm types in Maryland include Thunderstorm Wind (4,356 events), Winter Weather (1,512 events), Flood (1,110 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Garrett County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Garrett 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 Garrett County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Garrett County, Maryland has an overall risk score of 16.0 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 $5.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Garrett County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Garrett County is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate) and Hurricane (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 Garrett County

Garrett County, MD has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a very low historical disaster load, 11% below the Maryland county average.

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