FEMA Records
32
Very high volume
Massachusetts · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Plymouth County, MA
32 FEMA disaster declarations (1972-2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 32
- FEMA declarations
- 21
- Major disasters
- 90
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Plymouth County. Its 32 FEMA declarations are 11% above the Massachusetts county mean and exceed the count for 89% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 10%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 10%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 32
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 10,959
- 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 Plymouth County compare?
Plymouth County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
32 Top 11% higher than 89% 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
Plymouth County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Massachusetts county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Plymouth County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $71.4M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Low), while Coastal Flooding 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 Plymouth County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 10,959 claims and $153.1M 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 $14.0K. 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. Plymouth County's 32 federal records stand 11% above the Massachusetts county mean of 28.8. 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 90.4/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $114.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Coastal Flooding stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 7.1 times per year here.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 32 entries for Plymouth County, including 21 Major Disaster records, 11% above the Massachusetts county mean. Across the 51-year span, that works out to 0.6 declarations a year. Hurricane leads the file with 9 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
71 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Plymouth County, MA · 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
23/30
32 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.5x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
14/25
32 declarations (1.1x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share High
16/25
21 of 32 declarations are major disasters (66%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Plymouth County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Massachusetts Avg
+11%
State avg: 28.8
vs. National Avg
+54%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.6
Over 51 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Plymouth 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
66%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
90
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Plymouth 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flooding | Very High | an average of 7.1 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.3 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 6 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 19 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 688 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 5.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 3.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | an average of 1 time per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 19,663 years |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 7 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 11 times per year |
| Hail | Very Low | an average of 1.3 times per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 9
Severe Storm 7
Snowstorm 6
Flood 5
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 2
Fishing Losses 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Plymouth County's federal record, 28% 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 - 21 65.6%
of all 32 declarations
Emergency - 11 34.4%
of all 32 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
Show 8 earlier declaration years
| 1997 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 2 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 32 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 32 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3599 | HURRICANE LEE | EM | Hurricane | 2023-09-15 |
| 4651 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2022-04-18 |
| 4496 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3438 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4372 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-06-25 |
| 4214 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-04-13 |
| 4110 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-04-19 |
| 4097 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-12-19 |
| 3350 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 4028 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-03 |
| 3330 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-26 |
| 3315 | HURRICANE EARL | EM | Hurricane | 2010-09-02 |
| 1895 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-03-29 |
| 1701 | SEVERE STORMS AND INLAND AND COASTAL FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-16 |
| 1614 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-11-10 |
| 3252 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 3201 | RECORD AND/OR NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
| 3191 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2004-01-15 |
| 3175 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-11 |
| 1364 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-04-10 |
Show 12 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1224 | HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1998-06-23 |
| 1142 | EXTREME WEATHER CONDITONS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-10-25 |
| 3119 | EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS AND FLOODING | EM | Flood | 1996-10-23 |
| 1090 | BLIZZARD OF 96 | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-24 |
| 3103 | BLIZZARDS, HIGH WINDS & RECORD SNOWFALL | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
| 975 | WINTER COASTAL STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 1992-12-21 |
| 920 | COASTAL STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 1991-11-04 |
| 914 | HURRICANE BOB | DR | Hurricane | 1991-08-26 |
| 751 | HURRICANE GLORIA | DR | Hurricane | 1985-10-28 |
| 546 | COASTAL STORMS, FLOOD, ICE & SNOW | DR | Flood | 1978-02-10 |
| 357 | TOXIC ALGAE IN COASTAL WATERS | DR | Fishing Losses | 1972-09-28 |
| 325 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-03-06 |
Storm Events in Massachusetts
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Plymouth County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,101 | 2 | 7 | $13.2M |
| Strong Wind | 1,019 | 4 | 8 | $3.2M |
| High Wind | 722 | 3 | 10 | $10.8M |
| Flood | 563 | 0 | 0 | $4.0M |
| Winter Weather | 390 | 1 | 14 | $1.4M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
10,959
Total Paid
$153.1M
Avg Per Claim
$14.0K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 90.4/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$114.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Coastal Flooding Very High
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Drought Relatively Moderate
Landslide Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail 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: Coastal Flooding
Coastal Flooding is modeled separately from riverine flooding because its driver is different: surge, tide and wave action rather than a watershed draining. It is also the hazard whose baseline is moving, since the same storm rides on a higher starting sea level than it used to.
For Plymouth County the two measures on this page point the same way: Coastal Flooding is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Very High), and Hurricane declarations also lead its federal record. Where the model and the declaration history agree, the reading is comparatively straightforward, the hazard is both expected and repeatedly realised.
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
Plymouth County's closest FEMA peer: Trinity County, CA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Plymouth County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Plymouth County shows 32 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Plymouth County: 21 of 32 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Plymouth County: NRI composite 90.4 (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 Plymouth County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Plymouth County's NFIP claims file (10,959 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).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Plymouth County?
The most common disaster type in Plymouth County is Hurricane, with 9 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (7), Snowstorm (6), Flood (5).
How does Plymouth County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Massachusetts average?
FEMA lists 32 declaration records for Plymouth County. That is 11% above the Massachusetts county mean of 28.8. Its count is also 54% 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 Plymouth County received?
Plymouth County has received 21 major disaster declarations, representing 66% of all 32 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Plymouth County filed?
Plymouth County has 10,959 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $153.1M in payments, with an average of $14.0K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Plymouth County?
No. In Plymouth County, Coastal Flooding has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $71.4M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Plymouth County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Plymouth County was 2013, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1972 to 2023.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Plymouth County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Plymouth County, Massachusetts has an overall risk score of 90.4 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $114.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Plymouth County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Plymouth County as of the latest release is Coastal Flooding (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Riverine Flooding (Relatively Moderate) and Strong Wind (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts coastal flooding here at an average of 7.1 times per year. FEMA derives these ratings from historical event frequency, the assets exposed, and the community's vulnerability profile.
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 Plymouth County
Plymouth County, MA has 32 federal declaration records, 11% more than the Massachusetts county mean of 29; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 21 of 32 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Massachusetts overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Massachusetts mean and the totals for 89% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- The large NFIP claims file and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records; the guide explains where they overlap and where they do not. 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.