FEMA Records
15
Below median
Oregon · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Marion County, OR
15 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 15
- FEMA declarations
- 10
- Major disasters
- 96
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Marion County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 15 declarations, more than 23% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 10% below the Oregon county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 4%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 4%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 15
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 400
- 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 41047 · Marion County 15 declarations · rank 2441/3,266
DECL-MID · MAJOR-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-MID 15
- MAJOR-MID 67%
- RANK-LOWER #2,441
- PHOTO-FINISH Polk
- NRI-HIGH 96
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-BELOW -10%
Nearest declaration peer: Polk, OR (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Oregon state profile
Marion County among counties with fewer federal records
FEMA declaration records among Marion County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Flathead · near 15
Flathead · near
15 declarations
- Marion · this county 15
Marion · this county
15 declarations
- Murray · near 15
Murray · near
15 declarations
- Polk · near 15
Polk · near
15 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Marion County carries 15 FEMA declaration records, ranked 2441 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Marion County versus quieter counties in this dataset
Marion County among lower-declaration counties nationally
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Marion County
15 23rd percentile higher than 23% 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
Marion County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Marion County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 400 paid claims, totaling $6.0M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $15.1K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Oregon county averages 16.6 federal declaration records, while Marion County has 15. The gap is 10% 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 95.5/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $171.1M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Earthquake stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 51 years here.
54 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Marion 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
11/30
15 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.7x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
11/25
15 declarations (0.9x state county average of 17)
Major Disaster Share High
17/25
10 of 15 declarations are major disasters (67%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Marion County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Marion 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
67%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
96
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Marion 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 High | roughly once every 51 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 5.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 82 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | roughly once every 15 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 7.3 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 3.6 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 18 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 9,579 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 5.8 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 4
Flood 4
Severe Storm 3
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
Earthquake 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Marion County's record, 27% 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 - 10 66.7%
of all 15 declarations
Emergency - 3 20.0%
of all 15 declarations
Fire Management - 2 13.3%
of all 15 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 15 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 15 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5483 | LIBERTY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-08-24 |
| 4599 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2021-05-04 |
| 4562 | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Fire | 2020-09-15 |
| 3542 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2020-09-10 |
| 5356 | BEACHIE CREEK LIONSHEAD FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2020-09-08 |
| 4499 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3429 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4055 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2012-03-02 |
| 1824 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-03-02 |
| 3228 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 1510 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-02-19 |
| 1099 | HIGH WINDS, SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-09 |
| 985 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 1993-04-26 |
| 413 | SEVERE STORMS, SNOWMELT & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-01-25 |
| 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 Marion 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
400
Total Paid
$6.0M
Avg Per Claim
$15.1K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 95.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$171.1M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Earthquake Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Drought 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 Marion County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Earthquake carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively 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
Marion County's closest FEMA peer: Union County, NJ
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Marion County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Marion County: NRI composite 95.5 (Relatively High).
Similar Major-disaster share
Marion County: 10 of 15 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Marion County shows 15 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 Marion County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Marion 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: 95.5 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 15. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Marion County's NFIP claims file (400 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 Marion County?
The most common disaster type in Marion County is Fire, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (4), Severe Storm (3), Biological (2).
How does Marion County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Oregon average?
The typical Oregon county has 16.6 FEMA declaration records; Marion County has 15, or 10% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 28% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Marion County received?
Marion County has received 10 major disaster declarations, representing 67% of all 15 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Marion County filed?
Marion County has 400 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $6.0M in payments, with an average of $15.1K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Marion County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Marion County was 2020, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2023.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Marion County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Marion County, Oregon has an overall risk score of 95.5 out of 100 (Relatively High). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Moderate; on community resilience, Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $171.1M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Marion County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Marion County as of the latest release is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate) and Volcanic Activity (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts earthquake here at roughly once every 51 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 Marion County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Oregon profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events