FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Imperial County, CA
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 96
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Imperial County ranks in the riskiest 4% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 57% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively High, based on 4 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2020, most often hurricane, 4% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 4%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 4
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 1
- hurricane declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Imperial County compare?
Imperial County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
4 Top 43% higher than 57% of 2,791 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 · 2026-07-25
Imperial County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the California county average
How disaster-prone is Imperial County?
Declaration frequency
Imperial County, California has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2024, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.0 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 48% below the California county average of 7.8 and 4% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 1 of 4 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 96.5/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $147.6M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Earthquake stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Imperial County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Low
vs. California Avg
-48%
State avg: 7.8
vs. National Avg
+4%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
1.0
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Imperial County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Imperial 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. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
06025
CA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 1
Severe Storm 1
Flood 1
Biological 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 3 75.0%
of all 4 declarations
Emergency - 1 25.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4750 | TROPICAL STORM HILARY | DR | Hurricane | 2023-11-21 |
| 4699 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-03 |
| 3592 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-03-10 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
Storm Events in California
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,876 | 14 | 30 | $229.3M |
| Flood | 3,682 | 33 | 31 | $991.0M |
| Heavy Snow | 2,071 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Drought | 2,039 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Dense Fog | 1,820 | 59 | 164 | $3.5M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 96.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$147.6M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Earthquake Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Relatively Low
Wildfire Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Hail Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Cold Wave No Rating
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 California
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Imperial County, California had?
Imperial County, California has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2024. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Imperial County?
The most common disaster type in Imperial County is Hurricane, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (1), Flood (1), Biological (1).
How does Imperial County's disaster risk compare to the California average?
Imperial County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 48% lower than the California county average of 7.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 4% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Imperial County received?
Imperial County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 75% of all 4 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in California?
The most common storm types in California include High Wind (4,876 events), Flood (3,682 events), Heavy Snow (2,071 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Imperial County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Imperial County was 2023, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Imperial County?
Imperial County's 4 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Imperial County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Imperial County, California has an overall risk score of 96.5 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $147.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Imperial County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Imperial County is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate) and Volcanic Activity (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 Imperial County
Imperial County, CA runs 48% below the California county average for federal disaster declarations (4 vs 8), a low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 4) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. California 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
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 national statistics report, or report a data error.