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Missouri · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

New Madrid County, MO

4 FEMA disaster declarations (2023–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.

4
FEMA declarations
4
Major disasters
72
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

The verdict

New Madrid County ranks in the riskiest 28% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 57% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Low, based on 4 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2023, most often severe storm, 4% above the national county average of 4.

Riskiest 28%
of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
Relatively Low
FEMA National Risk Index rating
4
FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
4
severe storm declarations, the most common hazard here

FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.

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How does New Madrid County compare?

New Madrid County vs. every U.S. county

FEMA disaster declarations, all-time

4 Top 43% higher than 57% of 2,791 counties

This county 0 30 all U.S. counties FEMA tracks, bucketed by value

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 · 2026-07-25

New Madrid County's FEMA Risk Index score

FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Missouri county average

0/100100/100Missouri avg53/10071.9/100
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Missouri county average

How disaster-prone is New Madrid County?

Declaration frequency

New Madrid County, Missouri has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2025, of which 4 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 2.0 declarations per year across a 2-year record, or roughly 95% above the Missouri county average of 2.0 and 4% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 4 of 4 declarations falling under this category.

FEMA National Risk Index

This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 71.9/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $28.3M in annualized losses), and a Relatively Moderate social-vulnerability profile combined with Relatively Low community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Earthquake carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.

Flood exposure & the bottom line

Taken together, New Madrid County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.

Risk Assessment

Risk Level

Low

vs. Missouri Avg

+95%

State avg: 2.0

vs. National Avg

+4%

National avg: 3.8

Avg Per Year

2.0

Over 2 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - New Madrid County

New Madrid County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 48, Flood 0, Hurricane 8, Tornado 25, Wildfire 8, Drought 48, Heat Wave 48, Winter Storm 70. Overall composite 32 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 32 composite
New Madrid County NRI risk profile FIPS 29143 · composite 32/100 (Moderate)
How to read this radar

The radar plots New Madrid 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. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.

FEMA Records

4

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

29143

MO state code

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

Disaster Types

Severe Storm 4

Declaration Types

What DR / EM / FM mean

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

Major Disaster - 4 100.0%

of all 4 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Year Declarations
2025 2
2024 1
2023 1

Disaster Declarations

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4867 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND WILDFIRES DR Severe Storm 2025-05-21
4872 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2025-05-21
4803 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2024-07-23
4741 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2023-09-21

Storm Events in Missouri

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 7,602 32 65 $81.5M
Hail 5,142 0 1 $94.3M
Flash Flood 2,757 52 14 $559.8M
Flood 2,110 26 7 $304.8M
Drought 1,433 0 700 $106.4M

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

FEMA National Risk Index

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 71.9/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Low

$28.3M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Moderate

Community Resilience

Relatively Low

Hazard Risk Breakdown

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has New Madrid County, Missouri had?
New Madrid County, Missouri has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2025. Of these, 4 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in New Madrid County?
The most common disaster type in New Madrid County is Severe Storm, with 4 declarations.
How does New Madrid County's disaster risk compare to the Missouri average?
New Madrid County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 95% higher than the Missouri county average of 2.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 4% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has New Madrid County received?
New Madrid County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 4 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Missouri?
The most common storm types in Missouri include Thunderstorm Wind (7,602 events), Hail (5,142 events), Flash Flood (2,757 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in New Madrid County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in New Madrid County was 2025, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2023 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for New Madrid County?
New Madrid County's 4 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for New Madrid County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, New Madrid County, Missouri has an overall risk score of 71.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $28.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to New Madrid County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in New Madrid County is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate) and Ice Storm (Relatively High). 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 New Madrid County

New Madrid County, MO runs 95% above the Missouri county average for federal disaster declarations (4 vs 2), a low historical load overall.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (4 of 4) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Missouri 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 national statistics report, or report a data error.