FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
West Virginia · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Jefferson County, WV
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2026–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 48
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Winter Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Jefferson County in the top 52% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Jefferson County compare?
- Jefferson County
- 1
- West Virginia county avg
- 2.1
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Jefferson County?
Jefferson County, West Virginia has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2026 and 2026, of which 0 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 53% below the West Virginia county average of 2.1 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 47.8/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Relatively Low (roughly $18.7M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Very Low) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Drought carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Taken together, Jefferson County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. West Virginia Avg
-53%
State avg: 2.1
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Jefferson County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Jefferson 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
54037
WV state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Winter Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3639 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
Storm Events in West Virginia
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 4,325 | 5 | 11 | $18.3M |
| Winter Weather | 2,269 | 0 | 22 | $1.3M |
| Flood | 1,411 | 13 | 0 | $119.1M |
| Flash Flood | 1,247 | 45 | 1 | $152.6M |
| Hail | 861 | 1 | 0 | $6.5M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 47.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$18.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Drought Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Cold Wave 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
Counties with Similar Risk in West Virginia
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Jefferson County, West Virginia had?
Jefferson County, West Virginia has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2026 to 2026.
What is the most common disaster type in Jefferson County?
The most common disaster type in Jefferson County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Jefferson County's disaster risk compare to the West Virginia average?
Jefferson County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 53% lower than the West Virginia county average of 2.1 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
What types of storms are most common in West Virginia?
The most common storm types in West Virginia include Thunderstorm Wind (4,325 events), Winter Weather (2,269 events), Flood (1,411 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Jefferson County?
Jefferson County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Jefferson County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Jefferson County, West Virginia has an overall risk score of 47.8 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $18.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Jefferson County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Jefferson County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Low) and Strong Wind (Relatively Moderate). 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 Jefferson County
Jefferson County, WV has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 53% below the West Virginia county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. West Virginia 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.
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 report a data error.