FEMA Records
17
Below median
Oregon · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Klamath County, OR
17 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 17
- FEMA declarations
- 5
- Major disasters
- 78
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Klamath County. Its 17 FEMA declarations are 2% above the Oregon county mean and exceed the count for 32% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 22%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 22%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 17
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 10
- 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 41035 · Klamath County 17 declarations · rank 2103/3,266
DECL-MID · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-MID 17
- MAJOR-LIGHT 29%
- RANK-LOWER #2,103
- PHOTO-FINISH Curry
- NRI-LOW 78
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-ABOVE +2%
Nearest declaration peer: Curry, OR (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Oregon state profile
Klamath County among counties with fewer federal records
FEMA declaration records among Klamath County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Curry · near 17
Curry · near
17 declarations
- Klamath · this county 17
Klamath · this county
17 declarations
- Murray · near 17
Murray · near
17 declarations
- Washington · near 17
Washington · near
17 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Klamath County carries 17 FEMA declaration records, ranked 2103 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Klamath County versus quieter counties in this dataset
Klamath County among lower-declaration counties nationally
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Klamath County
17 32nd percentile higher than 32% 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
Klamath County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Klamath County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $15.5M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Earthquake 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 Klamath County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 77.9/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $32.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Earthquake carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 60 years here.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 10 claims and $207.4K 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. Klamath County's 17 federal records stand 2% 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.
50 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Klamath 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) Moderate
12/30
17 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.8x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
17 declarations (1.0x state county average of 17)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
7/25
5 of 17 declarations are major disasters (29%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Klamath County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Klamath 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
29%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
78
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Klamath 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 60 years |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 175 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 26 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | roughly once every 278 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 30 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 3 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 8 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 14 times per year |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 92 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 54 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 25 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 19 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 10
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
Severe Storm 1
Earthquake 1
Drought 1
Flood 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Klamath County's record, 59% 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 - 8 47.1%
of all 17 declarations
Major Disaster - 5 29.4%
of all 17 declarations
Emergency - 4 23.5%
of all 17 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 17 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 17 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5532 | COPPERFIELD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-09-02 |
| 5471 | GOLDEN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-07-23 |
| 5396 | BOOTLEG FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-07-10 |
| 4562 | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Fire | 2020-09-15 |
| 3542 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2020-09-10 |
| 5354 | TWO FOUR TWO FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-09-08 |
| 4499 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3429 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5195 | PIPELINE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-08-04 |
| 5066 | OREGON GULCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-08-01 |
| 5060 | MOCCASIN HILLS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-07-14 |
| 2787 | ROYCE BUTTE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2008-09-17 |
| 3228 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 1160 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LAND AND MUDSLIDES, FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-23 |
| 1004 | EARTHQUAKES | DR | Earthquake | 1993-10-15 |
| 3039 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-04-29 |
| 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 Klamath 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
10
Total Paid
$207.4K
Avg Per Claim
$20.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 77.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$32.5M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Volcanic Activity Relatively Low
Avalanche Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Drought Very Low
Ice Storm 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: Earthquake
Earthquake is the model's clearest example of a hazard with no season and no warning. Its expected loss is driven less by how often shaking occurs than by how much of the building stock predates modern seismic codes, so exposure can be high in places where nothing has happened for a long time.
Worth noting for Klamath County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Earthquake carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Moderate), while the county's declaration history is led by Fire. 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
Klamath County's closest FEMA peer: Pemiscot County, MO
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Klamath County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Klamath County: NRI composite 77.9 (Relatively Low).
Similar Major-disaster share
Klamath County: 5 of 17 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Klamath County shows 17 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
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 Klamath County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Klamath 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: 77.9 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 17. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 17 FEMA declarations, Klamath 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 Klamath County?
The most common disaster type in Klamath County is Fire, with 10 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Coastal Storm (1), Severe Storm (1).
How does Klamath County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Oregon average?
FEMA lists 17 declaration records for Klamath County. That is 2% above the Oregon county mean of 16.6. Its count is also 18% below 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 Klamath County received?
Klamath County has received 5 major disaster declarations, representing 29% of all 17 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Klamath County filed?
Klamath County has 10 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $207.4K in payments, with an average of $20.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Klamath County?
No. In Klamath County, Earthquake has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $15.5M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Klamath County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Klamath County was 2020, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Klamath County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Klamath County, Oregon has an overall risk score of 77.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Moderate, while community resilience comes in at Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $32.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Klamath County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Klamath County is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Moderate) and Winter Weather (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts earthquake here at roughly once every 60 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 Klamath County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Oregon profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events