FEMA Records
7
Low volume
Michigan · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Iron County, MI
7 FEMA disaster declarations (1977-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Biological.
- 7
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 55
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Biological
- Top hazard
The verdict
Start with the local benchmark for Iron County: 7 FEMA declaration records are 30% below the Michigan county mean, even though the count is higher than 4% of counties in the national registry. On FEMA's distinct National Risk Index model, which combines expected loss with vulnerability and resilience, the county ranks in the riskiest 45%.
- Riskiest 45%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 7
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 3
- 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 26071 · Iron County 7 declarations · rank 3089/3,266
DECL-LIGHT · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-MODERATE · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-LIGHT 7
- MAJOR-LIGHT 43%
- RANK-LOWER #3,089
- PHOTO-FINISH Clinton
- NRI-LOW 55
- ACT-MODERATE Moderate
- TYPE-LEAD Biological
- VS-ST-BELOW -30%
Nearest declaration peer: Clinton, IL (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Michigan state profile
Iron County among counties with fewer federal records
FEMA declaration records among Iron County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Clinton · near 7
Clinton · near
7 declarations
- Iron · this county 7
Iron · this county
7 declarations
- Lea · near 7
Lea · near
7 declarations
- Marinette · near 7
Marinette · near
7 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Iron County carries 7 FEMA declaration records, ranked 3089 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Iron County versus quieter counties in this dataset
Iron County among lower-declaration counties nationally
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Iron County
7 4th percentile higher than 4% 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
Iron County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Iron County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 55.1/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Very Low (roughly $13.1M in annualized losses), and a Very High 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, Cold Wave stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 6.3 times per year here, based on 119 historical events on record.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 3 claims and $0 paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
Start with the state benchmark: a Michigan county averages 10.0 federal declaration records, while Iron County has 7. The gap is 30% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
38 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Iron 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) Low
5/30
7 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
9/25
7 declarations (0.7x state county average of 10)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
11/25
3 of 7 declarations are major disasters (43%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in Iron County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Iron 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
43%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
55
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Iron 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 6.3 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.2 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 16 times per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 2,458 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 26 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 3.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 44 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 0.4 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 7,937 years |
| Hurricane | No Rating | roughly once every 174 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 2
Biological 2
Hurricane 1
Snowstorm 1
Drought 1
What Biological declarations mean here
Biological is the most frequent declaration type on Iron County's record, 29% of its declarations. In practice this category is dominated by the COVID-19 declarations of 2020, which were issued across every US state and territory rather than in response to any local hazard event.
This has a direct consequence for how Iron County's number should be read. Because those declarations reached essentially every county in the country, they raise every county's total by a similar amount and tell you nothing about local hazard exposure. A county whose record is led by Biological declarations is, in most cases, a county with a genuinely quiet weather-hazard history, the pandemic records are simply the largest thing in an otherwise short list.
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).
Emergency - 4 57.1%
of all 7 declarations
Major Disaster - 3 42.9%
of all 7 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 7 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 7 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4925 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2026-06-30 |
| 4494 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3455 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3225 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-07 |
| 1413 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2002-05-06 |
| 3057 | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1978-01-27 |
| 3035 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-03-02 |
Storm Events in Michigan
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Iron 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
3
Total Paid
$0
Avg Per Claim
$0
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 55.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$13.1M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Very Low
Drought Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Hurricane 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: Cold Wave
Cold Wave measures exposure to extreme cold rather than to snow. Its harm is concentrated in health effects, burst infrastructure and energy demand spikes, and it falls hardest where the building stock and the grid were not built with sustained cold in mind.
Worth noting for Iron County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Cold Wave carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Biological. 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
Iron County's closest FEMA peer: Menominee County, WI
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Iron County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Iron County shows 7 FEMA declarations, led by Biological.
Similar Major-disaster share
Iron County: 3 of 7 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Iron County: NRI composite 55.1 (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 Iron County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Iron 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: 55.1 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 7. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
FEMA's National Risk Index flags Cold Wave as the top modeled exposure here (Relatively High); the guide explains how that model differs from declaration counts.
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 Iron County?
The most common disaster type in Iron County is Biological, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (2), Hurricane (1), Snowstorm (1).
How does Iron County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Michigan average?
The typical Michigan county has 10.0 FEMA declaration records; Iron County has 7, or 30% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 66% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Iron County received?
Iron County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 43% of all 7 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Iron County filed?
Iron County has 3 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $0 in payments, with an average of $0 per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Iron County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Iron County was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1977 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Iron County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Iron County, Michigan has an overall risk score of 55.1 out of 100 (Relatively Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Very High; on community resilience, Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $13.1M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Iron County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Iron County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hail (Relatively Moderate) and Winter Weather (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 6.3 times per year, drawn from 119 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 Iron County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Michigan profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events