FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
New York · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
New York County, NY
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2021), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 2
- Major disasters
- 99
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places New York County in the top 1% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 59% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does New York County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the New York county average and the national county average.
- New York County
- 4
- New York county avg
- 3
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is New York County?
New York County, New York has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2021, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 4.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 36% above the New York county average of 3.0 and 7% above 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 Hurricane, with 3 of 4 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively High (composite score 98.8/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively High equivalent to roughly $306.7M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very High and community resilience scores Relatively High — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Heat Wave (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 New York 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 New York County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Low
vs. New York Avg
+36%
State avg: 3.0
vs. National Avg
+7%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
4.0
Over 1 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — New York County
The radar plots New York 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.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
36061
NY state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 4 FEMA disaster declarations in New York County by incident type.
Hurricane 3
Biological 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 2 50.0%
of all 4 declarations
Emergency — 2 50.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for New York County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 4 FEMA disaster declarations for New York County, New York.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4615 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR | Hurricane | 2021-09-05 |
| 3572 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM | Hurricane | 2021-09-02 |
| 3565 | HURRICANE HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-22 |
| 4480 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-20 |
Storm Events in New York
NOAA severe weather data for New York (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,930 | 6 | 50 | $51.9M |
| Winter Weather | 2,595 | 10 | 25 | $728.0K |
| Flash Flood | 1,959 | 24 | 3 | $676.3M |
| Strong Wind | 1,657 | 4 | 13 | $9.2M |
| Winter Storm | 1,349 | 13 | 2 | $4.9M |
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 New York County.
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 98.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$306.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in New York County.
Heat Wave Relatively High
Strong Wind Very High
Winter Weather Very High
Cold Wave Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Drought No Rating
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 New York
Other New York counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has New York County, New York had?
New York County, New York has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2021. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in New York County?
The most common disaster type in New York County is Hurricane, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (1).
How does New York County's disaster risk compare to the New York average?
New York County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 36% higher than the New York county average of 3.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has New York County received?
New York County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 50% of all 4 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in New York?
The most common storm types in New York include Thunderstorm Wind (8,930 events), Winter Weather (2,595 events), Flash Flood (1,959 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in New York County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in New York County was 2021, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2021.
What is the overall disaster risk level for New York County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, New York County has a low disaster risk level with 4 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for New York County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, New York County, New York has an overall risk score of 98.8 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $306.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to New York County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in New York County is Heat Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Strong Wind (Very High) and Winter Weather (Very 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 York County
New York County, NY has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a low historical disaster load, 36% above the New York county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 4) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. New York 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.
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 U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
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