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Kansas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Meade County, KS

3 FEMA disaster declarations (2022–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.

3
FEMA declarations
3
Major disasters
16
NRI risk · Very Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Meade County in the top 84% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 42% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Meade County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Kansas county average and the national county average.

Meade County
3
Kansas county avg
2.6
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Meade County?

Meade County, Kansas has recorded 3 FEMA disaster declarations between 2022 and 2024, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.5 declarations per year across a 2-year record, or roughly 14% above the Kansas county average of 2.6 and 20% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency, smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 2 of 3 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 15.6/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $8.0M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very Low and community resilience scores Relatively Low - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Drought (Relatively High).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Meade County at a low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps, flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management, before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How Meade County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Low

vs. Kansas Avg

+14%

State avg: 2.6

vs. National Avg

-20%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

1.5

Over 2 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Meade County

Meade County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 0, Tornado 25, Wildfire 25, Drought 70, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 25. Overall composite 20 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 20 composite
Meade County NRI risk profile FIPS 20119 · composite 20/100 (Low)

The radar plots Meade County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.

FEMA Records

3

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

20119

KS state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 3 FEMA disaster declarations in Meade County by incident type.

Severe Storm 2
Snowstorm 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Major Disaster - 3 100.0%

of all 3 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Meade County.

Year Declarations
2024 1
2022 2

Disaster Declarations

All 3 FEMA disaster declarations for Meade County, Kansas.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4824 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2024-09-24
4654 SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS DR Snowstorm 2022-05-25
4640 SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS DR Severe Storm 2022-02-17

Storm Events in Kansas

NOAA severe weather data for Kansas (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 8,819 3 34 $36.4M
Hail 8,806 0 9 $28.8M
High Wind 1,768 2 7 $10.7M
Drought 1,282 0 0 $0
Flash Flood 1,093 6 15 $38.5M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Meade County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 15.6/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$8.0M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very Low

Community Resilience

Relatively Low

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Meade County.

Drought Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Landslide Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in Kansas

Other Kansas counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Meade County, Kansas had?
Meade County, Kansas has received 3 FEMA disaster declarations from 2022 to 2024. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Meade County?
The most common disaster type in Meade County is Severe Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (1).
How does Meade County's disaster risk compare to the Kansas average?
Meade County has 3 disaster declarations, which is 14% higher than the Kansas county average of 2.6 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 20% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Meade County received?
Meade County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 3 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Kansas?
The most common storm types in Kansas include Thunderstorm Wind (8,819 events), Hail (8,806 events), High Wind (1,768 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Meade County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Meade County was 2022, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2022 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Meade County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Meade County has a low disaster risk level with 3 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Meade County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Meade County, Kansas has an overall risk score of 15.6 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $8.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Meade County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Meade County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Low) and Hail (Relatively Low). 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.

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 Meade County

Meade County, KS has 3 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 14% above the Kansas county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 3) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Kansas overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
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. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.