FEMA Records
3
Total declarations
Arkansas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Newton County, AR
3 FEMA disaster declarations (2025–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.
- 3
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 18
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Winter Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Newton County ranks safer than 18% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 41% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Very Low, based on 3 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2025, most often winter storm, 22% below the national county average of 4.
- Safer than 18%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 3
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 1
- winter 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.
How does Newton County compare?
Newton County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
3 41st percentile higher than 41% of 2,791 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 · 2026-07-25
Newton County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Arkansas county average
How disaster-prone is Newton County?
Declaration frequency
Newton County, Arkansas has recorded 3 FEMA disaster declarations between 2025 and 2026, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 3.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 5% below the Arkansas county average of 3.1 and 22% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 3 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county's FEMA National Risk Index composite lands at 18.4/100 (Very Low), a modest reading against the rest of the country. Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $4.0M in annualized losses), tempered or compounded by a Very High social-vulnerability score and Very Low community-resilience score. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Lightning stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Newton 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. Arkansas Avg
-5%
State avg: 3.1
vs. National Avg
-22%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
3.0
Over 1 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Newton County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Newton 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.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
05101
AR state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Winter Storm 1
Flood 1
Severe Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 2 66.7%
of all 3 declarations
Major Disaster - 1 33.3%
of all 3 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3636 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 4873 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2025-05-21 |
| 3627 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-04-05 |
Storm Events in Arkansas
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 4,297 | 11 | 31 | $64.2M |
| Hail | 2,694 | 0 | 0 | $9.8M |
| Flash Flood | 1,737 | 15 | 3 | $16.1M |
| Heat | 1,676 | 3 | 325 | $0 |
| Flood | 1,352 | 10 | 0 | $40.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 18.4/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$4.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Relatively High
Ice Storm Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hurricane Very Low
Hail 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 Arkansas
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Newton County, Arkansas had?
Newton County, Arkansas has received 3 FEMA disaster declarations from 2025 to 2026. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Newton County?
The most common disaster type in Newton County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Flood (1), Severe Storm (1).
How does Newton County's disaster risk compare to the Arkansas average?
Newton County has 3 disaster declarations, which is 5% lower than the Arkansas county average of 3.1 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 22% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Newton County received?
Newton County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 33% of all 3 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Arkansas?
The most common storm types in Arkansas include Thunderstorm Wind (4,297 events), Hail (2,694 events), Flash Flood (1,737 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Newton County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Newton County was 2025, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2025 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Newton County?
Newton County's 3 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 Newton County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Newton County, Arkansas has an overall risk score of 18.4 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $4.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Newton County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Newton County is Lightning (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Ice Storm (Relatively High) and Landslide (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 Newton County
Newton County, AR runs 5% below the Arkansas county average for federal disaster declarations (3 vs 3), a low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (2 of 3) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Arkansas 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. 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. 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.