FEMA Records
9
Total declarations
Oregon · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Josephine County, OR
9 FEMA disaster declarations (2013–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 9
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 90
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Josephine County ranks in the riskiest 10% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 92% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Moderate, based on 9 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2013, most often fire, 134% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 10%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 9
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 8
- fire declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Josephine County compare?
Josephine County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
9 Top 8% higher than 92% of 2,791 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 · 2026-07-25
Josephine County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Oregon county average
How disaster-prone is Josephine County?
Declaration frequency
Josephine County, Oregon has recorded 9 FEMA disaster declarations between 2013 and 2025, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 0.8 declarations per year across a 12-year record, or roughly 146% above the Oregon county average of 3.7 and 134% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Fire, with 8 of 9 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 90.2/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $70.0M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Wildfire stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators put Josephine County at a moderate relative risk level, not the calmest county on record, but not among the most disaster-prone either.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. Oregon Avg
+146%
State avg: 3.7
vs. National Avg
+134%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
0.8
Over 12 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Josephine County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Josephine 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
41033
OR state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Fire 8
Severe Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Fire Management - 8 88.9%
of all 9 declarations
Major Disaster - 1 11.1%
of all 9 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 3 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4881 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-07-22 |
| 5369 | SLATER FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-09-10 |
| 5275 | HUGO ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-09-03 |
| 5256 | GARNER FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2018-07-19 |
| 5153 | GOLD CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-08-31 |
| 5096 | KRAUSS LANE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2015-08-09 |
| 5039 | BRIMSTONE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-08-02 |
| 5037 | DOUGLAS FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2013-07-28 |
| 5036 | PACIFICA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-07-19 |
Storm Events in Oregon
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 967 | 17 | 15 | $3.2B |
| Heavy Snow | 724 | 2 | 0 | $139.3M |
| Frost/Freeze | 452 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Wildfire | 341 | 17 | 38 | $15.6M |
| Flood | 283 | 3 | 1 | $69.5M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 90.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$70.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Drought Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Tornado 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 Oregon
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Josephine County, Oregon had?
Josephine County, Oregon has received 9 FEMA disaster declarations from 2013 to 2025. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Josephine County?
The most common disaster type in Josephine County is Fire, with 8 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (1).
How does Josephine County's disaster risk compare to the Oregon average?
Josephine County has 9 disaster declarations, which is 146% higher than the Oregon county average of 3.7 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 134% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Josephine County received?
Josephine County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 11% of all 9 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Oregon?
The most common storm types in Oregon include High Wind (967 events), Heavy Snow (724 events), Frost/Freeze (452 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Josephine County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Josephine County was 2013, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2013 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Josephine County?
With 9 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Josephine County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Josephine County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Josephine County, Oregon has an overall risk score of 90.2 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $70.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Josephine County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Josephine County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively Moderate) and Heat Wave (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 Josephine County
Josephine County, OR runs 146% above the Oregon county average for federal disaster declarations (9 vs 4), a moderate historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is fire management (8 of 9) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Oregon 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. 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 national statistics report, or report a data error.