FEMA Records
5
Total declarations
Texas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Orange County, TX
5 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 5
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 86
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Orange County ranks in the riskiest 14% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 71% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Moderate, based on 5 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2020, most often hurricane, 30% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 14%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 5
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 2
- hurricane 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 Orange County compare?
Orange County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
5 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
Orange County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Texas county average
How disaster-prone is Orange County?
Declaration frequency
Orange County, Texas has recorded 5 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2024, of which 4 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.3 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 46% above the Texas county average of 3.4 and 30% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 2 of 5 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 85.9/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $54.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Lightning stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators put Orange County at a moderate relative risk level, not the calmest county on record, but not among the most disaster-prone either.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. Texas Avg
+46%
State avg: 3.4
vs. National Avg
+30%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
1.3
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Orange County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Orange 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
48361
TX state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 2
Severe Ice Storm 2
Biological 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 4 80.0%
of all 5 declarations
Emergency - 1 20.0%
of all 5 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4798 | HURRICANE BERYL | DR | Hurricane | 2024-07-09 |
| 4586 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-19 |
| 3554 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-14 |
| 4572 | HURRICANE LAURA | DR | Hurricane | 2020-12-09 |
| 4485 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
Storm Events in Texas
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 16,276 | 0 | 20 | $7.4B |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 12,311 | 45 | 163 | $406.4M |
| Drought | 9,539 | 0 | 0 | $86.0K |
| Flash Flood | 5,531 | 484 | 24 | $48.9B |
| Heat | 4,874 | 174 | 463 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 85.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$54.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Very Low
Drought Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Landslide 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 Texas
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Orange County, Texas had?
Orange County, Texas has received 5 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2024. Of these, 4 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Orange County?
The most common disaster type in Orange County is Hurricane, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Ice Storm (2), Biological (1).
How does Orange County's disaster risk compare to the Texas average?
Orange County has 5 disaster declarations, which is 46% higher than the Texas county average of 3.4 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 30% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Orange County received?
Orange County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 80% of all 5 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Texas?
The most common storm types in Texas include Hail (16,276 events), Thunderstorm Wind (12,311 events), Drought (9,539 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Orange County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Orange County was 2021, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Orange County?
With 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Orange County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Orange County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Orange County, Texas has an overall risk score of 85.9 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $54.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Orange County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Orange County is Lightning (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively High) and Wildfire (Relatively Moderate). 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 Orange County
Orange County, TX runs 46% above the Texas county average for federal disaster declarations (5 vs 3), a moderate historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (4 of 5) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Texas 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.