FEMA Records
41
Very high volume
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Okaloosa County, FL
41 FEMA disaster declarations (1970-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 41
- FEMA declarations
- 28
- Major disasters
- 92
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Okaloosa County. Its 41 FEMA declarations are 2% above the Florida county mean and exceed the count for 97% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 8%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 8%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 41
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 8,221
- 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 12091 · Okaloosa County 41 declarations · rank 86/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 41
- MAJOR-MID 68%
- RANK-UPPER #86
- PHOTO-FINISH Washington
- NRI-MID 92
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-ABOVE +2%
Nearest declaration peer: Washington, LA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Florida state profile
Okaloosa County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Okaloosa County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Okaloosa · this county
Okaloosa · this county
41 declarations
- Putnam · near
Putnam · near
41 declarations
- Walsh · near
Walsh · near
41 declarations
- Washington · near
Washington · near
41 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Okaloosa County carries 41 FEMA declaration records, ranked 86 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Okaloosa County ranks in the national declaration registry
Okaloosa County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Okaloosa County
41 Top 3% higher than 97% 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 · 2026-08-25
Okaloosa County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Okaloosa County is led by Hurricane (about $87.2M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Lightning carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Okaloosa County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 8,221 claims and $283.0M 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 $34.4K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Okaloosa County's 41 federal records stand 2% above the Florida county mean of 40.4. 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.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 92.5/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $134.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Lightning stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 84 times per year here, based on 424,988 historical events on record.
75 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Okaloosa County, FL · 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) Very High
30/30
41 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (2.0x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
41 declarations (1.0x state county average of 40)
Major Disaster Share High
17/25
28 of 41 declarations are major disasters (68%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Okaloosa County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Okaloosa 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
68%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
92
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Okaloosa County?
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; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Very High | an average of 84 times per year |
| Hurricane | Very High | roughly once every 4 years |
| Tornado | Relatively High | roughly once every 1 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 8 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.7 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 512 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1,018 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | roughly once every 12 years |
| Hail | Very Low | an average of 1 time per year |
| Drought | Very Low | 15 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 24
Severe Storm 6
Flood 5
Tropical Storm 3
Biological 2
Fire 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Okaloosa County's federal record, 59% 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 - 28 68.3%
of all 41 declarations
Emergency - 13 31.7%
of all 41 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2019 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 3 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 4 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
Show 6 earlier declaration years
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 2 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 2 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 41 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 41 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4828 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-28 |
| 3615 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 3562 | TROPICAL STORM FRED | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-16 |
| 4564 | HURRICANE SALLY | DR | Hurricane | 2020-09-23 |
| 3546 | HURRICANE SALLY | EM | Hurricane | 2020-09-15 |
| 4486 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3432 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3419 | HURRICANE DORIAN | EM | Hurricane | 2019-08-30 |
| 4399 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR | Hurricane | 2018-10-11 |
| 3405 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM | Hurricane | 2018-10-09 |
| 4337 | HURRICANE IRMA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-10 |
| 3385 | HURRICANE IRMA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-05 |
| 4177 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-05-06 |
| 4084 | HURRICANE ISAAC | DR | Hurricane | 2012-10-18 |
| 1831 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-04-21 |
| 1806 | HURRICANE GUSTAV | DR | Hurricane | 2008-10-27 |
Show 21 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3288 | TROPICAL STORM FAY | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-08-21 |
| 3220 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-05 |
| 1602 | HURRICANE KATRINA | DR | Hurricane | 2005-08-28 |
| 1595 | HURRICANE DENNIS | DR | Hurricane | 2005-07-10 |
| 1551 | HURRICANE IVAN | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-16 |
| 1545 | HURRICANE FRANCES | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-04 |
| 1539 | TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND HURRICANE CHARLEY | DR | Hurricane | 2004-08-13 |
| 1344 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-10-03 |
| 1249 | HURRICANE GEORGES | DR | Hurricane | 1998-09-28 |
| 3131 | HURRICANE GRORGES | EM | Hurricane | 1998-09-25 |
| 1223 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARD | DR | Fire | 1998-06-18 |
| 1195 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-01-06 |
| 1069 | HURRICANE OPAL | DR | Hurricane | 1995-10-04 |
| 1062 | HURRICANE ERIN | DR | Hurricane | 1995-08-10 |
| 1035 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING (TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO) | DR | Severe Storm | 1994-07-10 |
| 3114 | TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO | EM | Flood | 1994-07-08 |
| 862 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-04-03 |
| 600 | HURRICANE FREDERIC | DR | Hurricane | 1979-09-13 |
| 484 | HIGH WINDS, HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-09-26 |
| 479 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-08-22 |
| 289 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-07-03 |
Storm Events in Florida
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Okaloosa County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,243 | 17 | 45 | $24.8M |
| Hail | 1,012 | 0 | 0 | $564.6K |
| Heavy Rain | 865 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 826 | 9 | 0 | $2.0B |
| Tropical Storm | 767 | 92 | 6 | $4.9B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
8,221
Total Paid
$283.0M
Avg Per Claim
$34.4K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 92.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$134.5M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Very High
Hurricane Very High
Tornado Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Drought Very Low
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: Lightning
Lightning is modeled as a high-frequency, low-per-event hazard: strike counts are large, but each strike affects a very small area. Its aggregate cost accumulates through structure fires, electrical and electronic damage, and it is one of the few hazards whose risk is essentially continuous through the season rather than episodic.
Worth noting for Okaloosa County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Lightning carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Hurricane. 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
Okaloosa County's closest FEMA peer: Tulsa County, OK
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Okaloosa County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Okaloosa County shows 41 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Okaloosa County: 28 of 41 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Okaloosa County: NRI composite 92.5 (Relatively Moderate).
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 Okaloosa County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Okaloosa County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 92.5 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 41. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Okaloosa County's NFIP claims file (8,221 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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Okaloosa County?
The most common disaster type in Okaloosa County is Hurricane, with 24 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (6), Flood (5), Tropical Storm (3).
How does Okaloosa County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Florida average?
FEMA lists 41 declaration records for Okaloosa County. That is 2% above the Florida county mean of 40.4. Its count is also 98% above 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 Okaloosa County received?
Okaloosa County has received 28 major disaster declarations, representing 68% of all 41 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Okaloosa County filed?
Okaloosa County has 8,221 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $283.0M in payments, with an average of $34.4K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Okaloosa County?
No. In Okaloosa County, Lightning has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Hurricane leads Expected Annual Loss at about $87.2M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Okaloosa County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Okaloosa County was 1998, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1970 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Okaloosa County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Okaloosa County, Florida has an overall risk score of 92.5 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $134.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Okaloosa County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Okaloosa County is Lightning (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Very High) and Tornado (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts lightning here at an average of 84 times per year, drawn from 424,988 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Okaloosa County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Florida profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events