FEMA Records
36
Very high volume
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Leon County, FL
36 FEMA disaster declarations (1973-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 36
- FEMA declarations
- 23
- Major disasters
- 93
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Leon County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 36 declarations, more than 94% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 11% below the Florida county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 7%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 7%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 36
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 1,015
- 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 12073 · Leon County 36 declarations · rank 187/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-HEAVY 36
- MAJOR-MID 64%
- RANK-UPPER #187
- PHOTO-FINISH Hardee
- NRI-MID 93
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-BELOW -11%
Nearest declaration peer: Hardee, FL (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Florida state profile
Leon County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Leon County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Hardee · near
Hardee · near
36 declarations
- Leon · this county
Leon · this county
36 declarations
- Pearl River · near
Pearl River · near
36 declarations
- Suffolk · near
Suffolk · near
36 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Leon County carries 36 FEMA declaration records, ranked 187 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Leon County ranks in the national declaration registry
Leon County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Leon County
36 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Leon County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Leon County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $46.9M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Low), while Cold Wave 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 Leon County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 1,015 claims and $11.9M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $11.7K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
Start with the state benchmark: a Florida county averages 40.4 federal declaration records, while Leon County has 36. The gap is 11% 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 93.4/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $142.7M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Cold Wave stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 1.4 times per year here, based on 27 historical events on record.
71 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Leon County, FL · 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) Very High
26/30
36 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.7x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
11/25
36 declarations (0.9x state county average of 40)
Major Disaster Share High
16/25
23 of 36 declarations are major disasters (64%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Leon County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Leon 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
64%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
93
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Leon 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | roughly once every 4 years |
| Tornado | Relatively High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 6.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.7 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 695 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 81 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1,171 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | roughly once every 9 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 19 modeled event-days per year |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | roughly once every 83 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 19
Severe Storm 6
Tropical Storm 4
Fire 3
Biological 2
Tornado 1
Flood 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Leon County's federal record, 53% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
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 - 23 63.9%
of all 36 declarations
Emergency - 12 33.3%
of all 36 declarations
Fire Management - 1 2.8%
of all 36 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 4 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 1999 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
Show 3 earlier declaration years
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 36 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 36 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4828 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-28 |
| 3615 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4794 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-06-17 |
| 4734 | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR | Hurricane | 2023-08-31 |
| 3596 | TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | EM | Tropical Storm | 2023-08-28 |
| 4680 | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR | Hurricane | 2022-12-13 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 3562 | TROPICAL STORM FRED | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-16 |
| 4486 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3432 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3419 | HURRICANE DORIAN | EM | Hurricane | 2019-08-30 |
| 4399 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR | Hurricane | 2018-10-11 |
| 3405 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM | Hurricane | 2018-10-09 |
| 4337 | HURRICANE IRMA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-10 |
| 3385 | HURRICANE IRMA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-05 |
| 4280 | HURRICANE HERMINE | DR | Hurricane | 2016-09-28 |
| 1831 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-04-21 |
Show 16 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1785 | TROPICAL STORM FAY | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-08-24 |
| 3288 | TROPICAL STORM FAY | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-08-21 |
| 3220 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-05 |
| 1595 | HURRICANE DENNIS | DR | Hurricane | 2005-07-10 |
| 1561 | HURRICANE JEANNE | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-26 |
| 1551 | HURRICANE IVAN | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-16 |
| 1545 | HURRICANE FRANCES | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-04 |
| 1539 | TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND HURRICANE CHARLEY | DR | Hurricane | 2004-08-13 |
| 1381 | TROPICAL STORM ALLISON | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-06-17 |
| 1344 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-10-03 |
| 3139 | FL-FIRES 04/15/99 | EM | Fire | 1999-04-27 |
| 2257 | FL-FIRES 04/13/99 | FM | Fire | 1999-04-19 |
| 1223 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARD | DR | Fire | 1998-06-18 |
| 982 | TORNADOES, FLOODING, HIGH WINDS & TIDES, FREEZING | DR | Tornado | 1993-03-13 |
| 756 | HURRICANE KATE | DR | Hurricane | 1985-12-03 |
| 387 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-05-26 |
Storm Events in Florida
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Leon County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,243 | 17 | 45 | $24.8M |
| Hail | 1,012 | 0 | 0 | $564.6K |
| Heavy Rain | 865 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 826 | 9 | 0 | $2.0B |
| Tropical Storm | 767 | 92 | 6 | $4.9B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
1,015
Total Paid
$11.9M
Avg Per Claim
$11.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 93.4/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$142.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively High
Tornado Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Landslide Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Drought Very Low
Coastal Flooding 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: Cold Wave
Cold Wave measures exposure to extreme cold rather than to snow. Its harm is concentrated in health effects, burst infrastructure and energy demand spikes, and it falls hardest where the building stock and the grid were not built with sustained cold in mind.
Worth noting for Leon County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Cold Wave carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Hurricane. 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
Leon County's closest FEMA peer: Sonoma County, CA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Leon County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Leon County shows 36 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Leon County: 23 of 36 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Leon County: NRI composite 93.4 (Relatively Moderate).
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 Leon County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Leon 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: 93.4 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 36. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Leon County's NFIP claims file (1,015 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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Leon County?
The most common disaster type in Leon County is Hurricane, with 19 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (6), Tropical Storm (4), Fire (3).
How does Leon County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Florida average?
The typical Florida county has 40.4 FEMA declaration records; Leon County has 36, or 11% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 74% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Leon County received?
Leon County has received 23 major disaster declarations, representing 64% of all 36 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Leon County filed?
Leon County has 1,015 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $11.9M in payments, with an average of $11.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Leon County?
No. In Leon County, Cold Wave has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $46.9M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Leon County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Leon County was 2024, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1973 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Leon County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Leon County, Florida has an overall risk score of 93.4 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $142.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Leon County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Leon County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively High) and Tornado (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 1.4 times per year, drawn from 27 historical events on record. 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 Leon County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Florida profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events