FEMA Records
12
Low volume
Michigan · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Ingham County, MI
12 FEMA disaster declarations (1972-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 12
- FEMA declarations
- 7
- Major disasters
- 87
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Ingham County. Its 12 FEMA declarations are 20% above the Michigan county mean and exceed the count for 14% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 13%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 13%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 12
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 397
- 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 26065 · Ingham County 12 declarations · rank 2785/3,266
DECL-MID · MAJOR-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-MID 12
- MAJOR-MID 58%
- RANK-LOWER #2,785
- PHOTO-FINISH Johnson
- NRI-MID 87
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-ABOVE +20%
Nearest declaration peer: Johnson, KS (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Michigan state profile
Ingham County among counties with fewer federal records
FEMA declaration records among Ingham County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Crane · near 12
Crane · near
12 declarations
- Ingham · this county 12
Ingham · this county
12 declarations
- Johnson · near 12
Johnson · near
12 declarations
- Seward · near 12
Seward · near
12 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Ingham County carries 12 FEMA declaration records, ranked 2785 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Ingham County versus quieter counties in this dataset
Ingham County among lower-declaration counties nationally
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Ingham County
12 14th percentile higher than 14% 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
Ingham County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Ingham County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $36.2M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Low), while Strong Wind 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 Ingham County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 397 paid claims, totaling $2.4M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $6.0K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Ingham County's 12 federal records stand 20% above the Michigan county mean of 10.0. 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 87.2/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $72.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Strong Wind stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 6 times per year here, based on 230 historical events on record.
54 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Ingham County, MI · 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) Moderate
9/30
12 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
15/25
12 declarations (1.2x state county average of 10)
Major Disaster Share High
15/25
7 of 12 declarations are major disasters (58%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Ingham County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Ingham 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
58%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
87
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Ingham 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | an average of 6 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 2.3 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 3 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | an average of 1.7 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 17 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 2.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 34 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1,185 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 80 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 61,991 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 3
Snowstorm 3
Biological 2
Severe Storm 2
Hurricane 1
Other 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Ingham County's record, 25% 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 - 7 58.3%
of all 12 declarations
Emergency - 5 41.7%
of all 12 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 2 | |
| 1972 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 12 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 12 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4757 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-02-08 |
| 4494 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3455 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 1777 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-07-14 |
| 3225 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-07 |
| 1527 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-06-30 |
| 3189 | POWER OUTAGE | EM | Other | 2003-09-23 |
| 3160 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-01-10 |
| 3057 | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1978-01-27 |
| 486 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-09-30 |
| 465 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-04-26 |
| 330 | SEVERE STORM & FREEZING | DR | Snowstorm | 1972-04-05 |
Storm Events in Michigan
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Ingham County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,010 | 10 | 18 | $173.8M |
| Winter Storm | 1,486 | 3 | 11 | $41.8M |
| Winter Weather | 1,254 | 21 | 38 | $892.0K |
| Hail | 962 | 0 | 0 | $77.1M |
| High Wind | 389 | 3 | 2 | $668.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
397
Total Paid
$2.4M
Avg Per Claim
$6.0K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 87.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$72.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Very High
Tornado Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Drought No Rating
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: Strong Wind
Strong Wind covers damaging non-thunderstorm, non-tornadic wind, the kind produced by steep pressure gradients and downslope events. It is a broad, frequent, low-drama hazard: roofs, signage, power lines and high-profile vehicles, spread across a wide area rather than concentrated on a path.
Worth noting for Ingham County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Strong Wind 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
Ingham County's closest FEMA peer: St. Martin Parish, LA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Ingham County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Ingham County: NRI composite 87.2 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar Major-disaster share
Ingham County: 7 of 12 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Ingham County shows 12 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
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 Ingham County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Ingham 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: 87.2 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 12. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Ingham County's NFIP claims file (397 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 Ingham County?
The most common disaster type in Ingham County is Flood, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (3), Biological (2), Severe Storm (2).
How does Ingham County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Michigan average?
FEMA lists 12 declaration records for Ingham County. That is 20% above the Michigan county mean of 10.0. Its count is also 42% below 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 Ingham County received?
Ingham County has received 7 major disaster declarations, representing 58% of all 12 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Ingham County filed?
Ingham County has 397 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $2.4M in payments, with an average of $6.0K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Ingham County?
No. In Ingham County, Strong Wind has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $36.2M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Ingham County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Ingham County was 1975, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1972 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Ingham County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Ingham County, Michigan has an overall risk score of 87.2 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $72.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Ingham County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Ingham County is Strong Wind (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Relatively High) and Hail (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts strong wind here at an average of 6 times per year, drawn from 230 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 Ingham County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Michigan profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events