FEMA Records
11
Low volume
Alaska · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Nome Census Area, AK
11 FEMA disaster declarations (1989-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 11
- FEMA declarations
- 10
- Major disasters
- 34
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Nome Census Area. Its 11 FEMA declarations are 52% above the Alaska county mean and exceed the count for 12% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it safer than 34%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Safer than 34%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 11
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 25
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Nome Census Area compare?
Nome Census Area vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
11 12th percentile higher than 12% 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
Nome Census Area's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Alaska county average
What does Nome Census Area's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 34.1/100 for this county (Very Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Very Low (roughly $6.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Very High) and community resilience (Very Low) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Cold Wave stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 10 times per year here, based on 158 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 11 entries for Nome Census Area, including 10 Major Disaster records, 52% above the Alaska county mean. Across the 37-year span, that works out to 0.3 declarations a year. Severe Storm leads the file with 6 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 25 claims and $1.5M paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Nome Census Area's 11 federal records stand 52% above the Alaska county mean of 7.2. 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.
60 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Nome Census Area, AK · 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) Moderate
8/30
11 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.5x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
19/25
11 declarations (1.5x state county average of 7)
Major Disaster Share Very High
23/25
10 of 11 declarations are major disasters (91%)
Hazard Diversity High
10/20
4 different disaster types declared in Nome Census Area
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Alaska Avg
+52%
State avg: 7.2
vs. National Avg
-47%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.3
Over 37 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Nome Census Area
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
91%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
34
Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Nome Census Area?
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. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 10 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | roughly once every 5,000 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 26 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 51 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 30 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 2,215 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 67 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | roughly once every 200 years |
| Lightning | Very Low | an average of 9.6 times per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 14,003 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 6
Flood 2
Biological 2
Freezing 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Nome Census Area's record, 55% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
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 - 10 90.9%
of all 11 declarations
Emergency - 1 9.1%
of all 11 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 11 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 11 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4893 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND REMNANTS OF TYPHOON HALONG | DR | Flood | 2025-10-22 |
| 4859 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-01-15 |
| 4730 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2023-08-23 |
| 4672 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-09-23 |
| 4533 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-09 |
| 3446 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4162 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-01-23 |
| 4050 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-12-22 |
| 1618 | SEVERE FALL STORM, TIDAL SURGES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-12-09 |
| 1571 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, TIDAL SURGES AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-11-15 |
| 826 | SEVERE FREEZING | DR | Freezing | 1989-05-10 |
Storm Events in Alaska
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Nome Census Area.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 709 | 0 | 1 | $8.4M |
| Blizzard | 524 | 0 | 0 | $60.0K |
| Heavy Snow | 439 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Storm | 385 | 0 | 0 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 182 | 0 | 0 | $81.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
25
Total Paid
$1.5M
Avg Per Claim
$60.8K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 34.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$6.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively High
Volcanic Activity Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Riverine Flooding Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Coastal Flooding No Rating
Drought No Rating
Hail No Rating
Strong Wind 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: Cold Wave
Cold Wave measures exposure to extreme cold rather than to snow. Its harm is concentrated in health effects, burst infrastructure and energy demand spikes, and it falls hardest where the building stock and the grid were not built with sustained cold in mind.
Worth noting for Nome Census Area: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Cold Wave carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Severe Storm. 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
Nome Census Area's closest FEMA peer: Treasure County, MT
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Nome Census Area. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Nome Census Area shows 11 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Nome Census Area: 10 of 11 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Nome Census Area: NRI composite 34.1 (Very Low).
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 Nome Census Area - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 11 FEMA declarations, Nome Census Area sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.
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 Nome Census Area?
The most common disaster type in Nome Census Area is Severe Storm, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (2), Biological (2), Freezing (1).
How does Nome Census Area's FEMA declaration record compare with the Alaska average?
FEMA lists 11 declaration records for Nome Census Area. That is 52% above the Alaska county mean of 7.2. Its count is also 47% below 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 Nome Census Area received?
Nome Census Area has received 10 major disaster declarations, representing 91% of all 11 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Nome Census Area filed?
Nome Census Area has 25 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.5M in payments, with an average of $60.8K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Nome Census Area?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Nome Census Area was 2020, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1989 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Nome Census Area?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Nome Census Area, Alaska has an overall risk score of 34.1 out of 100 (Very Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Very High; on community resilience, Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $6.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Nome Census Area?
FEMA's NRI data points to Nome Census Area as of the latest release is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Volcanic Activity (Relatively Low) and Winter Weather (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 10 times per year, drawn from 158 historical events on record. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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.
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 Nome Census Area
Nome Census Area, AK has 11 federal declaration records, 52% more than the Alaska county mean of 7; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 10 of 11 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Alaska overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Alaska mean and the totals for 12% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- A short NFIP claims file cannot establish low flood exposure; the data guide explains the limits of each federal measure. Disaster-data guide
An above-average declaration count records past federal responses; it does not predict the next event. Current warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.
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.