FEMA Records
34
Very high volume
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Jackson County, FL
34 FEMA disaster declarations (1994-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 34
- FEMA declarations
- 19
- Major disasters
- 76
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Jackson County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 34 declarations, more than 92% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 16% below the Florida county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 24%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 24%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 34
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 72
- 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.
How does Jackson County compare?
Jackson County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
34 Top 8% higher than 92% 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 · 2026-08-03
Jackson County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Florida county average
What does Jackson County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 72 paid claims, totaling $877.3K. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $12.2K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Florida county averages 40.4 federal declaration records, while Jackson County has 34. The gap is 16% 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.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 75.7/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $25.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Relatively Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Hurricane stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 5 years here, based on 76 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
Nationally, Jackson County's 34 FEMA records form a high-volume history; within Florida, however, the count is 16% below the county mean. 19 entries carry the Major Disaster classification. The largest incident group is Hurricane, appearing 20 times. The full 30-year record averages 1.1 declarations annually. A DR label alone does not say whether Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both followed.
65 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Jackson County, FL · 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
25/30
34 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
11/25
34 declarations (0.8x state county average of 40)
Major Disaster Share High
14/25
19 of 34 declarations are major disasters (56%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Jackson County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Florida Avg
-16%
State avg: 40.4
vs. National Avg
+64%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
1.1
Over 30 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Jackson 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
56%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
76
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Jackson 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 | Relatively High | roughly once every 5 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 77 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 27 modeled event-days per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 6.5 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.6 times per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 957 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 1,384 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 7 years |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Hail | Very Low | an average of 1 time per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 41 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 20
Severe Storm 5
Tropical Storm 3
Fire 3
Biological 2
Flood 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Jackson County's federal record, 59% 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 - 19 55.9%
of all 34 declarations
Emergency - 14 41.2%
of all 34 declarations
Fire Management - 1 2.9%
of all 34 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2019 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 3 | |
| 1999 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 4 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
Show 1 earlier declaration years
| 1994 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 34 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 34 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4828 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-28 |
| 3615 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4680 | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR | Hurricane | 2022-12-13 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 3562 | TROPICAL STORM FRED | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-16 |
| 4564 | HURRICANE SALLY | DR | Hurricane | 2020-09-23 |
| 3546 | HURRICANE SALLY | EM | Hurricane | 2020-09-15 |
| 4486 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3432 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3419 | HURRICANE DORIAN | EM | Hurricane | 2019-08-30 |
| 4399 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR | Hurricane | 2018-10-11 |
| 3405 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM | Hurricane | 2018-10-09 |
| 4337 | HURRICANE IRMA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-10 |
| 3385 | HURRICANE IRMA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-05 |
| 4177 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-05-06 |
| 1831 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-04-21 |
| 3288 | TROPICAL STORM FAY | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-08-21 |
Show 14 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3220 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-05 |
| 1595 | HURRICANE DENNIS | DR | Hurricane | 2005-07-10 |
| 1551 | HURRICANE IVAN | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-16 |
| 1545 | HURRICANE FRANCES | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-04 |
| 1539 | TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND HURRICANE CHARLEY | DR | Hurricane | 2004-08-13 |
| 3139 | FL-FIRES 04/15/99 | EM | Fire | 1999-04-27 |
| 2255 | FL-FIRES 04/13/99 | FM | Fire | 1999-04-17 |
| 1249 | HURRICANE GEORGES | DR | Hurricane | 1998-09-28 |
| 3131 | HURRICANE GRORGES | EM | Hurricane | 1998-09-25 |
| 1223 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARD | DR | Fire | 1998-06-18 |
| 1195 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-01-06 |
| 1069 | HURRICANE OPAL | DR | Hurricane | 1995-10-04 |
| 1035 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING (TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO) | DR | Severe Storm | 1994-07-10 |
| 3114 | TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO | EM | Flood | 1994-07-08 |
Storm Events in Florida
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Jackson County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,243 | 17 | 45 | $24.8M |
| Hail | 1,012 | 0 | 0 | $564.6K |
| Heavy Rain | 865 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 826 | 9 | 0 | $2.0B |
| Tropical Storm | 767 | 92 | 6 | $4.9B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
72
Total Paid
$877.3K
Avg Per Claim
$12.2K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 75.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$25.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Hurricane Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Drought Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Hail Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) 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 Jackson County the two measures on this page point the same way: Hurricane is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively 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
Jackson County's closest FEMA peer: Santa Cruz County, CA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Jackson County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Jackson County shows 34 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Jackson County: 19 of 34 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Jackson County: NRI composite 75.7 (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 Jackson County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Jackson County's NFIP claims file (72 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).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Jackson County?
The most common disaster type in Jackson County is Hurricane, with 20 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (5), Tropical Storm (3), Fire (3).
How does Jackson County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Florida average?
The typical Florida county has 40.4 FEMA declaration records; Jackson County has 34, or 16% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 64% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Jackson County received?
Jackson County has received 19 major disaster declarations, representing 56% of all 34 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Jackson County filed?
Jackson County has 72 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $877.3K in payments, with an average of $12.2K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Jackson County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Jackson County was 1998, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1994 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Jackson County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Jackson County, Florida has an overall risk score of 75.7 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively High, while community resilience comes in at Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $25.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Jackson County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Jackson County is Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Lightning (Relatively High) and Drought (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts hurricane here at roughly once every 5 years, drawn from 76 historical events on record. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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.
What this means for Jackson County
Against a Florida county mean of 40 declarations, Jackson County, FL records 34, or 16% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as high activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (19 of 34) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Florida overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 92% of recorded county totals, but its own Florida benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- Use the data guide to separate this mid-volume insurance-claims file from declaration counts and modeled NRI risk. Disaster-data guide
A below-average federal record is not a safety guarantee. Use National Weather Service alerts and local emergency-management notices for present conditions, not this historical comparison.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. 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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.