FEMA Records
28
High volume
Connecticut · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Middlesex County, CT
28 FEMA disaster declarations (1978-2022). Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 28
- FEMA declarations
- 16
- Major disasters
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
How does Middlesex County compare?
Middlesex County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
28 Top 19% higher than 81% 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
What does Middlesex County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 2,242 claims and $38.3M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $17.1K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
Start with the state benchmark: a Connecticut county averages 30.5 federal declaration records, while Middlesex County has 28. The gap is 8% 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.
Declaration frequency
Nationally, Middlesex County's 28 FEMA records form a high-volume history; within Connecticut, however, the count is 8% below the county mean. 16 entries carry the Major Disaster classification. The largest incident group is Hurricane, appearing 11 times. The full 44-year record averages 0.6 declarations annually. A DR label alone does not say whether Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both followed.
58 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Middlesex County, CT · 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) High
20/30
28 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
11/25
28 declarations (0.9x state county average of 31)
Major Disaster Share High
14/25
16 of 28 declarations are major disasters (57%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in Middlesex County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Connecticut Avg
-8%
State avg: 30.5
vs. National Avg
+35%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.6
Over 44 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Middlesex 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
County FIPS
09007
CT state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 11
Severe Storm 7
Snowstorm 5
Flood 3
Biological 2
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Middlesex County's federal record, 39% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
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 - 16 57.1%
of all 28 declarations
Emergency - 12 42.9%
of all 28 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 4 | |
| 2012 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 2 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
Show 3 earlier declaration years
| 1984 | 1 | |
| 1982 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 28 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 28 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4629 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR | Hurricane | 2021-10-30 |
| 3564 | HURRICANE HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-22 |
| 4580 | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR | Hurricane | 2021-01-12 |
| 3535 | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-06 |
| 4500 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3439 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4410 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-12-05 |
| 4106 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-03-21 |
| 3361 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2013-02-10 |
| 4087 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-10-30 |
| 3353 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 4046 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-11-17 |
| 3342 | SEVERE STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2011-10-31 |
| 4023 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-02 |
| 3331 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-27 |
| 1904 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-04-23 |
| 1700 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-11 |
| 3246 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 3200 | RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
| 3176 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-11 |
Show 8 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1092 | BLIZZARD 0F 96 | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-24 |
| 3098 | SEVERE WINDS & BLIZZARD, RECORD SNOWFALL | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
| 972 | WINTER STORM & COASTAL FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1992-12-17 |
| 916 | HURRICANE BOB | DR | Hurricane | 1991-08-30 |
| 747 | HURRICANE GLORIA | DR | Hurricane | 1985-10-11 |
| 711 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1984-06-18 |
| 661 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1982-06-14 |
| 3060 | BLIZZARD & SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1978-02-07 |
Storm Events in Connecticut
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Middlesex County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 926 | 7 | 13 | $9.0M |
| Flash Flood | 328 | 3 | 0 | $9.3M |
| Winter Weather | 311 | 1 | 3 | $162.7K |
| Heavy Snow | 157 | 0 | 0 | $53.0K |
| Strong Wind | 142 | 1 | 2 | $2.3M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
2,242
Total Paid
$38.3M
Avg Per Claim
$17.1K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Data-matched county comparisons
Middlesex County's closest FEMA peer: Beaver County, OK
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields for Middlesex County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Middlesex County shows 28 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Middlesex County: 16 of 28 of its declarations are Major.
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 Middlesex County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Middlesex County's NFIP claims file (2,242 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 Middlesex County?
The most common disaster type in Middlesex County is Hurricane, with 11 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (7), Snowstorm (5), Flood (3).
How does Middlesex County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Connecticut average?
The typical Connecticut county has 30.5 FEMA declaration records; Middlesex County has 28, or 8% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 35% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Middlesex County received?
Middlesex County has received 16 major disaster declarations, representing 57% of all 28 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Middlesex County filed?
Middlesex County has 2,242 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $38.3M in payments, with an average of $17.1K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Middlesex County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Middlesex County was 2013, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1978 to 2022.
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 Middlesex County
Against a Connecticut county mean of 31 declarations, Middlesex County, CT records 28, or 8% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as high activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (16 of 28) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. Connecticut overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 81% of recorded county totals, but its own Connecticut benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- The large NFIP claims file and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records; the guide explains where they overlap and where they do not. 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.