FEMA Records
33
Very high volume
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Mendocino County, CA
33 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 33
- FEMA declarations
- 25
- Major disasters
- 94
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Mendocino County. Its 33 FEMA declarations are 16% above the California county mean and exceed the count for 91% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 6%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 6%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 33
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 183
- 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 06045 · Mendocino County 33 declarations · rank 282/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 33
- MAJOR-MID 76%
- RANK-UPPER #282
- PHOTO-FINISH Nelson
- NRI-HIGH 94
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-ABOVE +16%
Nearest declaration peer: Nelson, ND (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · California state profile
Mendocino County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Mendocino County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Garvin · near 33
Garvin · near
33 declarations
- Mendocino · this county 33
Mendocino · this county
33 declarations
- Monterey · near 33
Monterey · near
33 declarations
- Nelson · near 33
Nelson · near
33 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Mendocino County carries 33 FEMA declaration records, ranked 282 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Mendocino County ranks in the national declaration registry
Mendocino County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Mendocino County
33 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Mendocino County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Mendocino County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $55.9M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Landslide 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 Mendocino County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 183 paid claims, totaling $4.7M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $25.7K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Mendocino County's 33 federal records stand 16% above the California county mean of 28.5. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 94.3/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $116.7M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Relatively Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Landslide stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 95 times per year here.
77 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Mendocino County, CA · 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
24/30
33 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
14/25
33 declarations (1.2x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share Very High
19/25
25 of 33 declarations are major disasters (76%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
9 different disaster types declared in Mendocino County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Mendocino 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
76%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
94
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Mendocino 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively High | an average of 95 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | roughly once every 14 years |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | roughly once every 202 years |
| Drought | Relatively High | 41 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | roughly once every 1 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 10,000 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | an average of 3.2 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 4.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Tsunami | Very Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 5.3 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | an average of 6.8 times per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 28 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 376 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 11
Severe Storm 9
Fire 6
Biological 2
Hurricane 1
Fishing Losses 1
Freezing 1
Coastal Storm 1
Drought 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Mendocino County's record, 33% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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 - 25 75.8%
of all 33 declarations
Emergency - 6 18.2%
of all 33 declarations
Fire Management - 2 6.1%
of all 33 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
Show 7 earlier declaration years
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 2 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
| 1969 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 33 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 33 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4699 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-03 |
| 3592 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-03-10 |
| 4683 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-01-14 |
| 3591 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-01-09 |
| 4569 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2020-10-16 |
| 4558 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2020-08-22 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3428 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4434 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-05-17 |
| 4431 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-05-01 |
| 5262 | MENDOCINO FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2018-07-28 |
| 4344 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2017-10-10 |
| 5219 | REDWOOD VALLEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-10-09 |
| 4305 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2017-03-16 |
| 4301 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-02-14 |
| 3287 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2008-06-28 |
| 1628 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-02-03 |
| 3248 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1203 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-02-09 |
| 1155 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUD AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-04 |
Show 13 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1046 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOW | DR | Severe Storm | 1995-03-12 |
| 1044 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOWS | DR | Severe Storm | 1995-01-10 |
| 1038 | THE EL NINO (THE SALMON INDUSTRY) | DR | Fishing Losses | 1994-09-13 |
| 979 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, MUD & LAND SLIDES, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1993-02-03 |
| 894 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 1991-02-11 |
| 758 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1986-02-21 |
| 677 | COASTAL STORMS, FLOODS, SLIDES & TORNADOES | DR | Coastal Storm | 1983-02-09 |
| 3023 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-01-20 |
| 432 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-05-07 |
| 412 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-01-25 |
| 283 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-02-16 |
| 253 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1969-01-26 |
| 183 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1964-12-24 |
Storm Events in California
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Mendocino County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,070 | 13 | 27 | $228.2M |
| Flood | 3,132 | 26 | 25 | $985.1M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,814 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Dense Fog | 1,605 | 52 | 148 | $2.8M |
| Drought | 1,421 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
183
Total Paid
$4.7M
Avg Per Claim
$25.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 94.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$116.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively High
Drought Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Tsunami Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Hail Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Cold Wave No Rating
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: Landslide
Landslide risk is a function of slope, soil and water, so it is usually a SECOND-ORDER hazard: it is triggered by the rainfall, snowmelt, wildfire burn scars or seismic shaking that came first. That is why a county can carry high landslide exposure whose realized damage is recorded under a flood or storm declaration instead.
Worth noting for Mendocino County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. 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
Mendocino County's closest FEMA peer: Blaine County, OK
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Mendocino County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Mendocino County shows 33 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Mendocino County: 25 of 33 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Mendocino County: NRI composite 94.3 (Relatively High).
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 Mendocino County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Mendocino 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: 94.3 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 33. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Mendocino County's NFIP claims file (183 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 Mendocino County?
The most common disaster type in Mendocino County is Flood, with 11 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (9), Fire (6), Biological (2).
How does Mendocino County's FEMA declaration record compare with the California average?
FEMA lists 33 declaration records for Mendocino County. That is 16% above the California county mean of 28.5. Its count is also 59% above the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Mendocino County received?
Mendocino County has received 25 major disaster declarations, representing 76% of all 33 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Mendocino County filed?
Mendocino County has 183 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $4.7M in payments, with an average of $25.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Mendocino County?
No. In Mendocino County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $55.9M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Mendocino County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Mendocino County was 2023, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2023.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Mendocino County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Mendocino County, California has an overall risk score of 94.3 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $116.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Mendocino County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Mendocino County as of the latest release is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively High) and Wildfire (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at an average of 95 times per year. 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 Mendocino County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · California profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events