FEMA Records
38
Very high volume
North Dakota · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Grand Forks County, ND
38 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 38
- FEMA declarations
- 33
- Major disasters
- 58
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Grand Forks County. Its 38 FEMA declarations are 47% above the North Dakota county mean and exceed the count for 95% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 42%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 42%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 38
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 3,114
- 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 38035 · Grand Forks County 38 declarations · rank 143/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-HEAVY · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 38
- MAJOR-HEAVY 87%
- RANK-UPPER #143
- PHOTO-FINISH LaSalle
- NRI-LOW 58
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-ABOVE +47%
Nearest declaration peer: LaSalle, LA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · North Dakota state profile
Grand Forks County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Grand Forks County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Grand Forks · this county
Grand Forks · this county
38 declarations
- Hendry · near
Hendry · near
38 declarations
- LaSalle · near
LaSalle · near
38 declarations
- Marion · near
Marion · near
38 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Grand Forks County carries 38 FEMA declaration records, ranked 143 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Grand Forks County ranks in the national declaration registry
Grand Forks County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Grand Forks County
38 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Grand Forks County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Grand Forks County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $12.1M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Winter Weather 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 Grand Forks County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 3,114 claims and $75.6M 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 $24.3K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Grand Forks County's 38 federal records stand 47% above the North Dakota county mean of 25.9. 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.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 57.7/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $25.0M in annualized losses), and a Very Low social-vulnerability profile combined with Relatively High community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Winter Weather stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 24 times per year here, based on 447 historical events on record.
78 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Grand Forks County, ND · 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
28/30
38 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.8x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
18/25
38 declarations (1.5x state county average of 26)
Major Disaster Share Very High
22/25
33 of 38 declarations are major disasters (87%)
Hazard Diversity High
10/20
4 different disaster types declared in Grand Forks County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Grand Forks 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
87%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
58
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Grand Forks 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 24 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.9 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.2 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 22 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | an average of 1 time per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 1,630 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 1.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 27 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 7 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 5.5 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 11,494 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 23
Severe Storm 12
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Grand Forks County's record, 61% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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 - 33 86.8%
of all 38 declarations
Emergency - 5 13.2%
of all 38 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
Show 15 earlier declaration years
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 2 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
| 1969 | 1 | |
| 1966 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 38 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 38 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4895 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-10-22 |
| 4717 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2023-07-05 |
| 4660 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-07-13 |
| 4565 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2020-10-02 |
| 4553 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2020-07-09 |
| 4509 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-01 |
| 3477 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4475 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2020-01-21 |
| 4444 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2019-06-12 |
| 3364 | FLOODING | EM | Flood | 2013-04-26 |
| 1981 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2011-05-10 |
| 3318 | FLOODING | EM | Flood | 2011-04-07 |
| 1907 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2010-04-30 |
| 3309 | FLOODING | EM | Flood | 2010-03-14 |
| 1829 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-03-24 |
| 1726 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-09-07 |
| 1645 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND GROUND SATURATION | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-06-05 |
| 3247 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-13 |
| 1597 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND GROUND SATURATION | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-07-22 |
| 1515 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND GROUND SATURATION | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-05-05 |
Show 18 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1431 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-09-10 |
| 1376 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, & GROUND SATURATION | DR | Flood | 2001-05-28 |
| 1334 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND GROUND SATURATION | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-06-27 |
| 1279 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, SNOW, ICE, GROUND SATURATION, LANSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AND TOR | DR | Flood | 1999-06-08 |
| 1174 | SEVERE FLOODING,SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWMELT, SPRING RAINS | DR | Flood | 1997-04-07 |
| 1157 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-12 |
| 1118 | SEVERE STORMS,FLOODING, & ICE JAMS | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-06-05 |
| 1001 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1993-07-26 |
| 825 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1989-05-08 |
| 581 | SEVERE STORMS, SNOWMELT & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1979-04-26 |
| 554 | STORMS, ICE JAMS, SNOWMELT & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1978-04-17 |
| 475 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-07-11 |
| 469 | FLOODING FROM RAINS & SNOWMELT | DR | Flood | 1975-05-24 |
| 434 | HEAVY RAINS, SNOWMELT & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-05-14 |
| 287 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-06-05 |
| 256 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1969-04-18 |
| 216 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1966-03-23 |
| 195 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1965-05-10 |
Storm Events in North Dakota
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Grand Forks County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 2,705 | 0 | 2 | $116.1M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,459 | 2 | 10 | $67.0M |
| High Wind | 1,184 | 1 | 1 | $2.9M |
| Heavy Snow | 925 | 0 | 3 | $650.0K |
| Blizzard | 905 | 2 | 2 | $60.0M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
3,114
Total Paid
$75.6M
Avg Per Claim
$24.3K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 57.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$25.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Winter Weather Very High
Ice Storm Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Drought Very Low
Earthquake 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: Winter Weather
Winter Weather in the model means the accumulation of snow and cold that disrupts rather than destroys: road closures, roof loads, burst pipes and lost heating. Its costs land heavily on transport and on households least able to absorb an interruption.
Worth noting for Grand Forks County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Winter Weather carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. 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
Grand Forks County's closest FEMA peer: Lamoille County, VT
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Grand Forks County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Grand Forks County shows 38 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Grand Forks County: 33 of 38 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Grand Forks County: NRI composite 57.7 (Relatively 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 Grand Forks County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Grand Forks 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: 57.7 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 38. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Grand Forks County's NFIP claims file (3,114 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 Grand Forks County?
The most common disaster type in Grand Forks County is Flood, with 23 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (12), Biological (2), Coastal Storm (1).
How does Grand Forks County's FEMA declaration record compare with the North Dakota average?
FEMA lists 38 declaration records for Grand Forks County. That is 47% above the North Dakota county mean of 25.9. Its count is also 83% 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 Grand Forks County received?
Grand Forks County has received 33 major disaster declarations, representing 87% of all 38 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Grand Forks County filed?
Grand Forks County has 3,114 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $75.6M in payments, with an average of $24.3K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Grand Forks County?
No. In Grand Forks County, Winter Weather has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $12.1M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Grand Forks County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Grand Forks County was 2020, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Grand Forks County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Grand Forks County, North Dakota has an overall risk score of 57.7 out of 100 (Relatively Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Very Low; on community resilience, Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $25.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Grand Forks County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Grand Forks County as of the latest release is Winter Weather (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Ice Storm (Relatively High) and Hail (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts winter weather here at an average of 24 times per year, drawn from 447 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 Grand Forks County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · North Dakota profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events