FEMA Records
7
Low volume
Montana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Madison County, MT
7 FEMA disaster declarations (1997-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 7
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 41
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Start with the local benchmark for Madison County: 7 FEMA declaration records are 36% below the Montana county mean, even though the count is higher than 4% of counties in the national registry. On FEMA's distinct National Risk Index model, which combines expected loss with vulnerability and resilience, the county ranks safer than 41%.
- Safer than 41%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 7
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 6
- 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 Madison County compare?
Madison County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
7 4th percentile higher than 4% 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
Madison County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Montana county average
What does Madison County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 41.0/100 for this county (Very Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Relatively Low (roughly $15.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Very Low) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Avalanche stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 3 years here, based on 12 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The state comparison is the clearest context for Madison County's moderate federal record. Its 7 declarations sit 36% below the Montana county mean, with 4 Major Disaster entries among them. 2 records concern Fire, the file's most frequent incident type. Spread across 23 years, the registry rate is 0.3 per year. FEMA reports authorized programs separately from the DR, EM, and FM codes.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 6 claims and $26.1K 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.
Start with the state benchmark: a Montana county averages 11.0 federal declaration records, while Madison County has 7. The gap is 36% 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.
37 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Madison County, MT · 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
5/30
7 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
8/25
7 declarations (0.6x state county average of 11)
Major Disaster Share High
14/25
4 of 7 declarations are major disasters (57%)
Hazard Diversity High
10/20
4 different disaster types declared in Madison County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
Moderate
vs. Montana Avg
-36%
State avg: 11.0
vs. National Avg
-66%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.3
Over 23 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Madison 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
57%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
41
Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Madison 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | an average of 4.2 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 998 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 31 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 42 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | an average of 3.6 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 38 times per year |
| Drought | Very Low | 92 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 10,000 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 67 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 0.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 11 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Biological 2
Severe Storm 2
Fire 2
Hurricane 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Madison County's record, 29% 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 57.1%
of all 7 declarations
Emergency - 2 28.6%
of all 7 declarations
Fire Management - 1 14.3%
of all 7 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 2 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 7 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 7 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4508 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-31 |
| 3476 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 1996 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-06-17 |
| 3253 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1340 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2000-08-30 |
| 2318 | MT - CENTRAL ZONE 3C FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2000-08-08 |
| 1183 | SEVERE STORMS,ICE JAMS, SNOW MELT, FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-07-25 |
Storm Events in Montana
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Madison County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 3,735 | 1 | 2 | $5.3M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,396 | 5 | 24 | $15.1M |
| Hail | 2,015 | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| Winter Storm | 1,502 | 13 | 18 | $11.2M |
| Heavy Snow | 796 | 5 | 3 | $143.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
6
Total Paid
$26.1K
Avg Per Claim
$4.3K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 41.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$15.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Avalanche Very High
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Drought Very Low
Riverine Flooding Very Low
Hail Very Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Heat Wave 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: Avalanche
Avalanche is the most geographically restricted hazard in the model, limited to steep terrain holding seasonal snow. Its exposure concentrates on mountain roads, rail corridors and backcountry recreation rather than on the built environment generally.
Worth noting for Madison County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Avalanche carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), 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
Madison County's closest FEMA peer: Montgomery County, IL
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Madison County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Madison County shows 7 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Madison County: 4 of 7 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Madison County: NRI composite 41.0 (Very 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 Madison County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
FEMA's National Risk Index flags Avalanche as the top modeled exposure here (Very High); the guide explains how that model differs from declaration counts.
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 Madison County?
The most common disaster type in Madison County is Fire, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Severe Storm (2), Hurricane (1).
How does Madison County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Montana average?
The typical Montana county has 11.0 FEMA declaration records; Madison County has 7, or 36% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 66% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Madison County received?
Madison County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 57% of all 7 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Madison County filed?
Madison County has 6 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $26.1K in payments, with an average of $4.3K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Madison County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Madison County was 2000, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1997 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Madison County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Madison County, Montana has an overall risk score of 41.0 out of 100 (Very Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Very Low; on community resilience, Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $15.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Madison County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Madison County as of the latest release is Avalanche (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Moderate) and Wildfire (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts avalanche here at roughly once every 3 years, drawn from 12 historical events on record. 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 Madison County
Against a Montana county mean of 11 declarations, Madison County, MT records 7, or 36% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as moderate activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (4 of 7) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Montana overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 4% of recorded county totals, but its own Montana benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- A short NFIP claims file cannot establish low flood exposure; the data guide explains the limits of each federal measure. 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.