FEMA Records
10
Low volume
Colorado · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
La Plata County, CO
10 FEMA disaster declarations (1970-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 10
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 75
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
La Plata County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 10 declarations, more than 10% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 2% below the Colorado county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 25%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 25%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 10
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 67
- 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 La Plata County compare?
La Plata County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
10 10th percentile higher than 10% 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
La Plata County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Colorado county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for La Plata County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $24.3M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Very High), 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 La Plata County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 67 paid claims, totaling $1.3M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $18.8K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Colorado county averages 10.2 federal declaration records, while La Plata County has 10. The gap is 2% 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 75.2/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $39.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. 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 340 years here.
Declaration frequency
Nationally, La Plata County's 10 FEMA records form a high-volume history; within Colorado, however, the count is 2% below the county mean. 4 entries carry the Major Disaster classification. The largest incident group is Fire, appearing 4 times. The full 50-year record averages 0.2 declarations annually. A DR label alone does not say whether Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both followed.
42 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
La Plata County, CO · 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) Low
7/30
10 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.5x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
12/25
10 declarations (1.0x state county average of 10)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
10/25
4 of 10 declarations are major disasters (40%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in La Plata County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Colorado Avg
-2%
State avg: 10.2
vs. National Avg
-52%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.2
Over 50 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - La Plata 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
40%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
75
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike La Plata 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 340 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 65 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 711 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 28 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 68 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 67 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 22 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 0 modeled event-days per year |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 19,472 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 4
Biological 2
Flood 2
Coastal Storm 1
Drought 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on La Plata County's record, 40% 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).
Major Disaster - 4 40.0%
of all 10 declarations
Emergency - 3 30.0%
of all 10 declarations
Fire Management - 3 30.0%
of all 10 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 4 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 10 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 10 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4498 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3436 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3224 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-05 |
| 2432 | VALLEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2002-06-25 |
| 1421 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2002-06-19 |
| 2423 | MISSIONARY RIDGE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2002-06-11 |
| 2418 | UTE PASS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2002-06-07 |
| 3025 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-01-29 |
| 396 | FLOODING & LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 1973-07-06 |
| 293 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-09-22 |
Storm Events in Colorado
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to La Plata County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 4,913 | 0 | 100 | $2.9B |
| Winter Weather | 2,620 | 3 | 23 | $22.5K |
| High Wind | 1,992 | 5 | 6 | $20.9M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,741 | 2 | 11 | $5.4M |
| Winter Storm | 1,497 | 0 | 0 | $848.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
67
Total Paid
$1.3M
Avg Per Claim
$18.8K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 75.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$39.5M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Hail Very Low
Cold Wave 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 La Plata 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
La Plata County's closest FEMA peer: Belmont County, OH
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for La Plata County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
La Plata County: NRI composite 75.2 (Relatively Low).
Similar Major-disaster share
La Plata County: 4 of 10 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
La Plata County shows 10 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 La Plata County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
La Plata County's NFIP claims file (67 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 La Plata County?
The most common disaster type in La Plata County is Fire, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Flood (2), Coastal Storm (1).
How does La Plata County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Colorado average?
The typical Colorado county has 10.2 FEMA declaration records; La Plata County has 10, or 2% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 52% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has La Plata County received?
La Plata County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 40% of all 10 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has La Plata County filed?
La Plata County has 67 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.3M in payments, with an average of $18.8K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in La Plata County?
No. In La Plata County, Wildfire has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $24.3M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in La Plata County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in La Plata County was 2002, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1970 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for La Plata County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, La Plata County, Colorado has an overall risk score of 75.2 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Low, while community resilience comes in at Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $39.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to La Plata County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for La Plata County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Avalanche (Relatively High) and Landslide (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 340 years. 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 La Plata County
Against a Colorado county mean of 10 declarations, La Plata County, CO records 10, or 2% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as high activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (4 of 10) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Colorado overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 10% of recorded county totals, but its own Colorado 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.