FEMA Records
47
Very high volume
Kentucky · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Pike County, KY
47 FEMA disaster declarations (1967-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 47
- FEMA declarations
- 37
- Major disasters
- 88
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Pike County. Its 47 FEMA declarations are 67% above the Kentucky county mean and exceed the count for 99% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 12%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 12%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 47
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 2,474
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 21195 · Pike County 47 declarations · rank 38/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-HIGH
- DECL-HEAVY 47
- MAJOR-MID 79%
- RANK-UPPER #38
- PHOTO-FINISH East Baton R…
- NRI-MID 88
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Severe Storm
- VS-ST-HIGH +67%
Nearest declaration peer: East Baton Rouge, LA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Kentucky state profile
Pike County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Pike County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- East Baton Rouge · near
East Baton Rouge · near
47 declarations
- Logan · near
Logan · near
47 declarations
- Pike · this county
Pike · this county
47 declarations
- Pointe Coupee · near
Pointe Coupee · near
47 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Pike County carries 47 FEMA declaration records, ranked 38 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Pike County ranks in the national declaration registry
Pike County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Pike County
47 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Pike County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Pike County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $44.8M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively 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 Pike County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 2,474 claims and $56.2M 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 $22.7K. 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. Pike County's 47 federal records stand 67% above the Kentucky county mean of 28.1. 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 87.9/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $49.7M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Landslide stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 2.5 times per year here.
91 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Pike County, KY · 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
47 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (2.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
21/25
47 declarations (1.7x state county average of 28)
Major Disaster Share Very High
20/25
37 of 47 declarations are major disasters (79%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Pike County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Pike 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
79%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
88
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Pike 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively High | an average of 2.5 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 3.3 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 87 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 17 times per year |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.9 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 2.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 735 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 3.1 times per year |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 46 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 50 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 4.5 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 11 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 20
Flood 15
Fire 4
Snowstorm 3
Biological 2
Winter Storm 1
Hurricane 1
Tornado 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Pike County's record, 43% 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 - 37 78.7%
of all 47 declarations
Emergency - 6 12.8%
of all 47 declarations
Fire Management - 4 8.5%
of all 47 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
Show 19 earlier declaration years
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 3 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 2 | |
| 1984 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 2 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
| 1967 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 47 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 47 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3633 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 3626 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-04-03 |
| 4860 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-02-24 |
| 3624 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-02-16 |
| 4663 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2022-07-29 |
| 4643 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-02-27 |
| 4595 | SEVERE, STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2021-04-23 |
| 4540 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2020-04-24 |
| 4497 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3469 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4428 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-04-17 |
| 4358 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2018-04-12 |
| 5166 | SOUTHEASTERN KENTUCKY FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2016-11-20 |
| 4218 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2015-05-12 |
| 4217 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2015-05-01 |
| 4216 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWSTORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Snowstorm | 2015-04-30 |
| 4196 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-09-30 |
| 1976 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-05-04 |
| 1925 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-07-23 |
| 1841 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-05-29 |
Show 27 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1703 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES, AND ROCKSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-25 |
| 3231 | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-10 |
| 1523 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-06-10 |
| 1475 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUD AND ROCK SLIDES, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-07-02 |
| 1454 | SEVERE WINTER ICE AND SNOW STORMS, HEAVY RAIN, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND MUD AND | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-03-14 |
| 1414 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-05-07 |
| 1407 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-04-04 |
| 2386 | KY - EASTERN FIRE COMPLEX - 11/02/2001 | FM | Fire | 2001-11-02 |
| 1388 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-08-15 |
| 2350 | KY - EASTERN DISTRICT FIRE COMPLEX - 11/03/00 | FM | Fire | 2000-11-04 |
| 2288 | KY, WILDFIRES #001 | FM | Fire | 1999-11-20 |
| 1216 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES,AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-04-29 |
| 1163 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-03-04 |
| 1089 | BLIZZARD OF 96 | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-13 |
| 1055 | TORNADOES, SEVERE WINDS, HAIL | DR | Tornado | 1995-06-13 |
| 3104 | SEVERE SNOWFALL & WINTER STORM | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
| 846 | SEVERE STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1989-10-30 |
| 834 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1989-06-30 |
| 821 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1989-02-24 |
| 705 | HIGH WINDS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1984-05-15 |
| 592 | SEVERE STORMS,FLASH FLOODS | DR | Flood | 1979-07-19 |
| 568 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1978-12-12 |
| 529 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1977-04-06 |
| 468 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-05-24 |
| 332 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-05-15 |
| 282 | HEAVY SNOWMELT, RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-02-02 |
| 226 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1967-03-27 |
Storm Events in Kentucky
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Pike County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,702 | 9 | 56 | $55.2M |
| Flash Flood | 1,757 | 65 | 16 | $42.6M |
| Flood | 1,646 | 31 | 6 | $37.1M |
| Hail | 1,534 | 1 | 0 | $4.7M |
| Winter Weather | 1,079 | 14 | 54 | $655.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
2,474
Total Paid
$56.2M
Avg Per Claim
$22.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 87.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$49.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Hurricane Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Drought Very Low
Tornado 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: Landslide
Landslide risk is a function of slope, soil and water, so it is usually a SECOND-ORDER hazard: it is triggered by the rainfall, snowmelt, wildfire burn scars or seismic shaking that came first. That is why a county can carry high landslide exposure whose realized damage is recorded under a flood or storm declaration instead.
Worth noting for Pike County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide 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
Pike County's closest FEMA peer: Gulf County, FL
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Pike County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Pike County shows 47 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Pike County: 37 of 47 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Pike County: NRI composite 87.9 (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 Pike County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Pike 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: 87.9 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 47. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Pike County's NFIP claims file (2,474 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 Pike County?
The most common disaster type in Pike County is Severe Storm, with 20 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (15), Fire (4), Snowstorm (3).
How does Pike County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Kentucky average?
FEMA lists 47 declaration records for Pike County. That is 67% above the Kentucky county mean of 28.1. Its count is also 127% 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 Pike County received?
Pike County has received 37 major disaster declarations, representing 79% of all 47 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Pike County filed?
Pike County has 2,474 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $56.2M in payments, with an average of $22.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Pike County?
No. In Pike County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $44.8M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Pike County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Pike County was 2002, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1967 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Pike County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Pike County, Kentucky has an overall risk score of 87.9 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively High; on community resilience, Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $49.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Pike County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Pike County is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Riverine Flooding (Relatively High) and Wildfire (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at an average of 2.5 times per year. 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.
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 Pike County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Kentucky profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events