FEMA Records
21
Above median
Oregon · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Jefferson County, OR
21 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 21
- FEMA declarations
- 7
- Major disasters
- 30
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Jefferson County. Its 21 FEMA declarations are 26% above the Oregon county mean and exceed the count for 52% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it safer than 30%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Safer than 30%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 21
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 7
- 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 41031 · Jefferson County 21 declarations · rank 1440/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 21
- MAJOR-LIGHT 33%
- RANK-LOWER #1,440
- PHOTO-FINISH Montgomery
- NRI-LOW Very Low
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-ABOVE +26%
Nearest declaration peer: Montgomery, IN (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Oregon state profile
Jefferson County in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among Jefferson County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Atascosa · near 21
Atascosa · near
21 declarations
- Jefferson · this county 21
Jefferson · this county
21 declarations
- Mason · near 21
Mason · near
21 declarations
- Montgomery · near 21
Montgomery · near
21 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Jefferson County carries 21 FEMA declaration records, ranked 1440 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How Jefferson County's FEMA declaration count compares nationally
Jefferson County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Jefferson County
21 Top 48% higher than 52% 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
Jefferson County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Jefferson County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $4.6M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Low), while Wildfire carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate). 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 Jefferson County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
This county's FEMA National Risk Index composite lands at 29.9/100 (Very Low), a modest reading against the rest of the country. Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $10.4M in annualized losses), tempered or compounded by a Relatively Low social-vulnerability score and Relatively Low community-resilience score. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Wildfire carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 196 years here.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 7 claims and $12.7K 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.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Jefferson County's 21 federal records stand 26% above the Oregon county mean of 16.6. 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.
54 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Jefferson County, OR · 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) High
15/30
21 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.0x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
16/25
21 declarations (1.3x state county average of 17)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
8/25
7 of 21 declarations are major disasters (33%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Jefferson County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Jefferson 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
33%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
30
Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Jefferson 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 196 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | roughly once every 79 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | roughly once every 30 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 11 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 223 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 15 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | roughly once every 28 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 3.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 31 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 61 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 11 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 30 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 12
Severe Storm 3
Biological 2
Flood 2
Coastal Storm 1
Drought 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Jefferson County's record, 57% of its declarations. Wildfire is the one hazard here with its own dedicated federal instrument: the Fire Management Assistance Grant, which appears in this data as an FM record. An FMAG can be authorised while a fire is still burning, on a timescale of hours, because its purpose is to reimburse the cost of fighting a fire that threatens to become a major disaster.
That distinction matters when comparing counties. An FM declaration is not a presidential major disaster declaration and does not carry the same assistance programmes, so a fire-heavy county's total is not directly comparable with a hurricane-heavy county's total unless the declaration types are separated, which is why they are listed separately on this page.
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).
Fire Management - 10 47.6%
of all 21 declarations
Major Disaster - 7 33.3%
of all 21 declarations
Emergency - 4 19.0%
of all 21 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 21 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 21 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5647 | AKAWA BUTTE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-07-23 |
| 5610 | FLAT FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-08-23 |
| 5589 | ALDER SPRINGS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-06-17 |
| 5528 | ELK LANE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-08-06 |
| 4562 | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Fire | 2020-09-15 |
| 3542 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2020-09-10 |
| 5356 | BEACHIE CREEK LIONSHEAD FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2020-09-08 |
| 4499 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3429 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4432 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-05-02 |
| 5243 | GRAHAM FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-06-22 |
| 5126 | AKAWANA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-06-08 |
| 1632 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-03-20 |
| 3228 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 1510 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-02-19 |
| 2493 | OR-BOOTH FIRE-8-19-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-08-20 |
| 2455 | OR - CACHE MOUNTAIN FIRE - 07/28/02 | FM | Fire | 2002-07-29 |
| 2443 | OR - EYERLY FIRE - 07/13/2002 | FM | Fire | 2002-07-16 |
| 1099 | HIGH WINDS, SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-09 |
| 3039 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-04-29 |
Show 1 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1964-12-24 |
Storm Events in Oregon
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Jefferson County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 859 | 13 | 10 | $3.2B |
| Heavy Snow | 654 | 2 | 0 | $139.2M |
| Frost/Freeze | 391 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Wildfire | 311 | 15 | 38 | $15.1M |
| Flood | 244 | 3 | 1 | $68.4M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
7
Total Paid
$12.7K
Avg Per Claim
$1.8K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 29.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$10.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Relatively Low
Avalanche Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Drought Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Tornado Very Low
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: Wildfire
Wildfire risk in the model reflects fuel, terrain, weather and how much development sits in the wildland-urban interface. It is one of the few hazards where the exposure is materially changed by land management and building choices, not only by where the county happens to be.
For Jefferson County the two measures on this page point the same way: Wildfire is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively Moderate), and Fire 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
Jefferson County's closest FEMA peer: Charlton County, GA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Jefferson County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Jefferson County shows 21 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Jefferson County: 7 of 21 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Jefferson County: NRI composite 29.9 (Very 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 Jefferson County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Jefferson 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: 29.9 (Very Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 21. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 21 FEMA declarations, Jefferson County sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.
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 Jefferson County?
The most common disaster type in Jefferson County is Fire, with 12 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (3), Biological (2), Flood (2).
How does Jefferson County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Oregon average?
FEMA lists 21 declaration records for Jefferson County. That is 26% above the Oregon county mean of 16.6. Its count is also 1% 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 Jefferson County received?
Jefferson County has received 7 major disaster declarations, representing 33% of all 21 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Jefferson County filed?
Jefferson County has 7 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $12.7K in payments, with an average of $1.8K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Jefferson County?
No. In Jefferson County, Wildfire has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $4.6M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Jefferson County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Jefferson County was 2020, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Jefferson County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Jefferson County, Oregon has an overall risk score of 29.9 out of 100 (Very Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $10.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Jefferson County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Jefferson County as of the latest release is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Volcanic Activity (Relatively Low) and Avalanche (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 196 years. 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 Jefferson County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Oregon profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events