FEMA Records
41
Very high volume
Texas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Harris County, TX
41 FEMA disaster declarations (1973-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 41
- FEMA declarations
- 30
- Major disasters
- 100
- NRI risk · Very High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Harris County. Its 41 FEMA declarations are 96% above the Texas county mean and exceed the count for 97% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 1%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 1%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 41
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 170,838
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 48201 · Harris County 41 declarations · rank 91/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-HIGH
- DECL-HEAVY 41
- MAJOR-MID 73%
- RANK-UPPER #91
- PHOTO-FINISH Okaloosa
- NRI-HIGH Very High
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-HIGH +96%
Nearest declaration peer: Okaloosa, FL (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Texas state profile
Harris County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Harris County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Harris · this county
Harris · this county
41 declarations
- Okaloosa · near
Okaloosa · near
41 declarations
- Putnam · near
Putnam · near
41 declarations
- Washington · near
Washington · near
41 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Harris County carries 41 FEMA declaration records, ranked 91 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Harris County ranks in the national declaration registry
Harris County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Harris County
41 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Harris County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Harris County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $1.1B Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Low), while Hurricane 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 Harris County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 170,838 claims and $8.8B 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 $51.3K. 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. Harris County's 41 federal records stand 96% above the Texas county mean of 20.9. 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 sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 99.9/100 (Very High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very High (roughly $2.2B in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Hurricane stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 5 years here, based on 75 historical events on record.
93 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Harris County, TX · 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
30/30
41 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (2.0x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
25/25
41 declarations (2.0x state county average of 21)
Major Disaster Share High
18/25
30 of 41 declarations are major disasters (73%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Harris County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Harris 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
73%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
100
Very High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Harris 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very High | roughly once every 5 years |
| Tornado | Very High | an average of 1.6 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Very High | an average of 5.1 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Very High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Lightning | Very High | an average of 75 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Very High | 15 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Very High | roughly once every 1 years |
| Strong Wind | Very High | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1,887 years |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.4 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 1.1 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 4 years |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 895 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 3.8 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 16 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 12
Flood 12
Severe Storm 8
Fire 3
Severe Ice Storm 2
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
Tornado 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Harris County's federal record, 29% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
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 - 30 73.2%
of all 41 declarations
Emergency - 10 24.4%
of all 41 declarations
Fire Management - 1 2.4%
of all 41 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 4 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 2 | |
Show 9 earlier declaration years
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 2 | |
| 1985 | 1 | |
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 2 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 41 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 41 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4798 | HURRICANE BERYL | DR | Hurricane | 2024-07-09 |
| 4781 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-05-17 |
| 4586 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-19 |
| 3554 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-14 |
| 3540 | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-24 |
| 3530 | HURRICANE HANNA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-07-26 |
| 4485 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3458 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4466 | TROPICAL STORM IMELDA | DR | Flood | 2019-10-04 |
| 4332 | HURRICANE HARVEY | DR | Hurricane | 2017-08-25 |
| 4272 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2016-06-11 |
| 4269 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2016-04-25 |
| 4245 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-11-25 |
| 4223 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-05-29 |
| 2924 | FOREST BROOK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-06-17 |
| 1791 | HURRICANE IKE | DR | Hurricane | 2008-09-13 |
| 3294 | HURRICANE IKE | EM | Hurricane | 2008-09-10 |
| 3290 | HURRICANE GUSTAV | EM | Hurricane | 2008-08-29 |
| 1730 | TROPICAL STORM ERIN | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-10-02 |
| 3277 | HURRICANE DEAN | EM | Hurricane | 2007-08-18 |
Show 21 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1624 | EXTREME WILDFIRE THREAT | DR | Fire | 2006-01-11 |
| 1606 | HURRICANE RITA | DR | Hurricane | 2005-09-24 |
| 3261 | HURRICANE RITA | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-21 |
| 3216 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-02 |
| 1439 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-11-05 |
| 1379 | TX-TROPICAL STORM ALLISON-06-06-2001 | DR | Coastal Storm | 2001-06-09 |
| 3142 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARDS | EM | Fire | 1999-09-01 |
| 1257 | TX-FLOODING 10/18/98 | DR | Flood | 1998-10-21 |
| 1245 | HURRICANE GEORGES - TEXAS | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-09-23 |
| 1239 | TROPICAL STORM CHARLEY | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-08-26 |
| 1041 | SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1994-10-18 |
| 970 | SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS & TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1992-12-04 |
| 937 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1992-03-20 |
| 836 | TROPICAL STORM ALLISON | DR | Flood | 1989-07-18 |
| 828 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1989-05-19 |
| 727 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1984-10-30 |
| 689 | HURRICANE ALICIA | DR | Hurricane | 1983-08-19 |
| 603 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1979-09-25 |
| 580 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1979-04-26 |
| 510 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1976-06-19 |
| 398 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-07-11 |
Storm Events in Texas
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Harris County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 14,072 | 0 | 15 | $7.4B |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 10,293 | 41 | 141 | $369.9M |
| Drought | 7,032 | 0 | 0 | $86.0K |
| Flash Flood | 4,728 | 338 | 24 | $47.6B |
| Heat | 4,079 | 119 | 405 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
170,838
Total Paid
$8.8B
Avg Per Claim
$51.3K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very High
Score: 99.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very High
$2.2B/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Hurricane Very High
Tornado Very High
Riverine Flooding Very High
Cold Wave Very High
Lightning Very High
Heat Wave Very High
Ice Storm Very High
Strong Wind Very High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively High
Drought Relatively Moderate
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: Hurricane
Hurricane exposure in the model bundles the three ways a tropical system does harm, which arrive on different timescales and are insured differently: wind, storm surge on the coast, and rainfall flooding that can reach far inland well after landfall.
For Harris County the two measures on this page point the same way: Hurricane is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Very High), and Hurricane declarations also lead its federal record. Where the model and the declaration history agree, the reading is comparatively straightforward, the hazard is both expected and repeatedly realised.
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
Harris County's closest FEMA peer: York County, ME
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Harris County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Harris County shows 41 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Harris County: 30 of 41 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Harris County: NRI composite 99.9 (Very High).
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 Harris County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Harris 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: 99.9 (Very High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 41. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Harris County's NFIP claims file (170,838 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 Harris County?
The most common disaster type in Harris County is Hurricane, with 12 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (12), Severe Storm (8), Fire (3).
How does Harris County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Texas average?
FEMA lists 41 declaration records for Harris County. That is 96% above the Texas county mean of 20.9. Its count is also 98% 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 Harris County received?
Harris County has received 30 major disaster declarations, representing 73% of all 41 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Harris County filed?
Harris County has 170,838 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $8.8B in payments, with an average of $51.3K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Harris County?
No. In Harris County, Hurricane has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $1.1B. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Harris County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Harris County was 2020, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1973 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Harris County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Harris County, Texas has an overall risk score of 99.9 out of 100 (Very High). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively High, while community resilience comes in at Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very High, representing $2.2B in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Harris County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Harris County is Hurricane (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Very High) and Riverine Flooding (Very High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts hurricane here at roughly once every 5 years, drawn from 75 historical events on record. 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.
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 Harris County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Texas profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events