FEMA Records
27
High volume
Mississippi · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Leake County, MS
27 FEMA disaster declarations (1974-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 27
- FEMA declarations
- 20
- Major disasters
- 56
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Leake County. Its 27 FEMA declarations are 4% above the Mississippi county mean and exceed the count for 78% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 44%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 44%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 27
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 54
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Leake County compare?
Leake County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
27 Top 22% higher than 78% 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
Leake County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Mississippi county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Leake County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $3.4M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Strong Wind carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High). 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 Leake County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 54 paid claims, totaling $982.0K. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $18.2K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Leake County's 27 federal records stand 4% above the Mississippi county mean of 25.9. 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.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 55.7/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Very Low (roughly $10.9M in annualized losses), and a Very High social-vulnerability profile combined with Very Low community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Strong Wind stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 3.5 times per year here, based on 135 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 27 entries for Leake County, including 20 Major Disaster records, 4% above the Mississippi county mean. Across the 52-year span, that works out to 0.5 declarations a year. Severe Storm leads the file with 10 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
72 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Leake County, MS · 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
20/30
27 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
27 declarations (1.0x state county average of 26)
Major Disaster Share Very High
19/25
20 of 27 declarations are major disasters (74%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Leake County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Mississippi Avg
+4%
State avg: 25.9
vs. National Avg
+30%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 52 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Leake 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
74%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
56
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Leake 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | an average of 3.5 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 11 years |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 4.3 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 12 modeled event-days per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1 time per year |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 14 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 470 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 70 times per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 832 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 2.6 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 10
Hurricane 6
Winter Storm 2
Severe Ice Storm 2
Biological 2
Flood 2
Tornado 2
Snowstorm 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Leake County's record, 37% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
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 - 20 74.1%
of all 27 declarations
Emergency - 7 25.9%
of all 27 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
Show 5 earlier declaration years
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1982 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 2 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 27 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 27 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4899 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Winter Storm | 2026-02-06 |
| 3640 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 4727 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES. | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-08-12 |
| 4626 | HURRICANE IDA | DR | Hurricane | 2021-10-22 |
| 3569 | HURRICANE IDA | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-28 |
| 4598 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-05-04 |
| 4536 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2020-04-16 |
| 4528 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-05 |
| 3474 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4470 | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-12-06 |
| 4268 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2016-03-25 |
| 4175 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-04-30 |
| 4081 | HURRICANE ISAAC | DR | Hurricane | 2012-08-29 |
| 3291 | HURRICANE GUSTAV | EM | Hurricane | 2008-08-30 |
| 1604 | HURRICANE KATRINA | DR | Hurricane | 2005-08-29 |
| 1594 | HURRICANE DENNIS | DR | Hurricane | 2005-07-10 |
| 1459 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODS | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-04-24 |
| 1398 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-12-07 |
| 1365 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-04-17 |
| 1265 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, ICE AND FREEZING RAIN | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 1999-01-25 |
Show 7 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 968 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS & TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1992-11-25 |
| 683 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1983-06-01 |
| 3084 | TORNADOES | EM | Tornado | 1982-04-10 |
| 577 | STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODS | DR | Severe Storm | 1979-04-16 |
| 3077 | STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODS | EM | Severe Storm | 1979-04-14 |
| 3032 | DROUGHT & FREEZING | EM | Snowstorm | 1977-02-22 |
| 430 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-04-18 |
Storm Events in Mississippi
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Leake County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,557 | 17 | 60 | $93.9M |
| Flash Flood | 1,551 | 6 | 9 | $83.6M |
| Hail | 1,411 | 0 | 0 | $90.1M |
| Heat | 1,340 | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Tornado | 1,097 | 68 | 610 | $562.0M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
54
Total Paid
$982.0K
Avg Per Claim
$18.2K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 55.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$10.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively 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: Strong Wind
Strong Wind covers damaging non-thunderstorm, non-tornadic wind, the kind produced by steep pressure gradients and downslope events. It is a broad, frequent, low-drama hazard: roofs, signage, power lines and high-profile vehicles, spread across a wide area rather than concentrated on a path.
For Leake County the two measures on this page point the same way: Strong Wind is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively High), and Severe Storm 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
Leake County's closest FEMA peer: Bucks County, PA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Leake County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Leake County shows 27 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Leake County: 20 of 27 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Leake County: NRI composite 55.7 (Relatively 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 Leake County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Leake County's NFIP claims file (54 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 Leake County?
The most common disaster type in Leake County is Severe Storm, with 10 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (6), Winter Storm (2), Severe Ice Storm (2).
How does Leake County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Mississippi average?
FEMA lists 27 declaration records for Leake County. That is 4% above the Mississippi county mean of 25.9. Its count is also 30% 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 Leake County received?
Leake County has received 20 major disaster declarations, representing 74% of all 27 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Leake County filed?
Leake County has 54 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $982.0K in payments, with an average of $18.2K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Leake County?
No. In Leake County, Strong Wind has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $3.4M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Leake County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Leake County was 2020, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1974 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Leake County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Leake County, Mississippi has an overall risk score of 55.7 out of 100 (Relatively Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Very High; on community resilience, Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $10.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Leake County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Leake County is Strong Wind (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Moderate) and Tornado (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts strong wind here at an average of 3.5 times per year, drawn from 135 historical events on record. 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.
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 Leake County
Leake County, MS has 27 federal declaration records, 4% more than the Mississippi county mean of 26; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 20 of 27 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Mississippi overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Mississippi mean and the totals for 78% of 3,266 U.S. counties. 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
An above-average declaration count records past federal responses; it does not predict the next event. Current warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.
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.