FEMA Records
11
Low volume
Illinois · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
McLean County, IL
11 FEMA disaster declarations (1968-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Snowstorm.
- 11
- FEMA declarations
- 7
- Major disasters
- 87
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Snowstorm
- Top hazard
The verdict
McLean County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 11 declarations, more than 12% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 14% below the Illinois county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 13%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 13%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 11
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 184
- 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 McLean County compare?
McLean County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
11 12th percentile higher than 12% 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
McLean County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Illinois county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for McLean County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $33.5M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), 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 McLean County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 184 paid claims, totaling $1.7M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $9.2K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Illinois county averages 12.9 federal declaration records, while McLean County has 11. The gap is 14% 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 86.9/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $81.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very 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 4.9 times per year here, based on 93 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
Nationally, McLean County's 11 FEMA records form a high-volume history; within Illinois, however, the count is 14% below the county mean. 7 entries carry the Major Disaster classification. The largest incident group is Snowstorm, appearing 3 times. The full 52-year record averages 0.2 declarations annually. A DR label alone does not say whether Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both followed.
50 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
McLean County, IL · 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
8/30
11 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.5x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
11/25
11 declarations (0.9x state county average of 13)
Major Disaster Share High
16/25
7 of 11 declarations are major disasters (64%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in McLean County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Illinois Avg
-14%
State avg: 12.9
vs. National Avg
-47%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.2
Over 52 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - McLean 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
87
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike McLean 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 4.9 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively High | 3.4 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.3 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 11 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 6.3 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 514 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | an average of 5.1 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 47 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 31,333 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Snowstorm 3
Biological 2
Severe Ice Storm 2
Tornado 2
Hurricane 1
Flood 1
What Snowstorm declarations mean here
Snowstorm is the most frequent declaration type on McLean County's record, 27% of its declarations. Snow-related declarations work on a narrower basis than most other hazards: they are generally issued to reimburse the cost of snow removal and emergency protective measures, rather than to repair destroyed property.
The qualifying test is unusual too. FEMA assesses snowfall against record levels for the affected area, so the same storm total can qualify in a county where it is historically extreme and not qualify a few hundred miles north where it is an ordinary winter. A low snowstorm declaration count is therefore not evidence of mild winters.
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 - 7 63.6%
of all 11 declarations
Emergency - 4 36.4%
of all 11 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1968 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 11 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 11 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4489 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-26 |
| 3435 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 1960 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2011-03-17 |
| 1681 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2007-02-09 |
| 3230 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-07 |
| 3161 | ILLINOIS WINTER SNOW STORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-01-17 |
| 3134 | IL-WINTER STORM 1/1/99 | EM | Snowstorm | 1999-01-08 |
| 860 | SEVERE ICE STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 1990-03-06 |
| 427 | TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1974-04-11 |
| 373 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-04-26 |
| 242 | TORNADOES, SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 1968-06-05 |
Storm Events in Illinois
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to McLean County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7,218 | 9 | 67 | $46.0M |
| Hail | 3,195 | 0 | 0 | $27.1M |
| Winter Weather | 1,363 | 14 | 49 | $1.8M |
| Flood | 1,221 | 14 | 11 | $84.3M |
| Flash Flood | 1,133 | 11 | 3 | $1.1B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
184
Total Paid
$1.7M
Avg Per Claim
$9.2K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 86.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$81.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively High
Drought Relatively High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Wildfire 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.
For McLean County the two measures on this page point the same way: Cold Wave is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively High), and Snowstorm 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
McLean County's closest FEMA peer: Pender County, NC
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for McLean County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
McLean County: NRI composite 86.9 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar Major-disaster share
McLean County: 7 of 11 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
McLean County shows 11 FEMA declarations, led by Snowstorm.
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 McLean County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
McLean County's NFIP claims file (184 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 McLean County?
The most common disaster type in McLean County is Snowstorm, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Severe Ice Storm (2), Tornado (2).
How does McLean County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Illinois average?
The typical Illinois county has 12.9 FEMA declaration records; McLean County has 11, or 14% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 47% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has McLean County received?
McLean County has received 7 major disaster declarations, representing 64% of all 11 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has McLean County filed?
McLean County has 184 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.7M in payments, with an average of $9.2K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in McLean County?
No. In McLean County, Cold Wave has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $33.5M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in McLean County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in McLean County was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1968 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for McLean County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, McLean County, Illinois has an overall risk score of 86.9 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Very Low; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $81.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to McLean County?
FEMA's NRI data points to McLean County as of the latest release is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Drought (Relatively High) and Tornado (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 4.9 times per year, drawn from 93 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 McLean County
Against a Illinois county mean of 13 declarations, McLean County, IL records 11, or 14% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as high activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (7 of 11) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Illinois overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 12% of recorded county totals, but its own Illinois 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.