FEMA Records
11
Total declarations
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Polk County, FL
11 FEMA disaster declarations (2017–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 11
- FEMA declarations
- 5
- Major disasters
- 97
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Polk County ranks in the riskiest 3% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 95% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively High, based on 11 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2017, most often hurricane, 186% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 3%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 11
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 6
- 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 Polk County compare?
Polk County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
11 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Polk County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Florida county average
How disaster-prone is Polk County?
Declaration frequency
Polk County, Florida has recorded 11 FEMA disaster declarations between 2017 and 2025, of which 5 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.4 declarations per year across a 8-year record, or roughly 2% below the Florida county average of 11.2 and 186% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 6 of 11 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 96.5/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $212.6M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Strong Wind stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators place Polk County at a high relative risk level, its federal disaster history outpaces most of the country, and it is worth pairing that record with forward-looking hazard maps before making insurance or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
High
vs. Florida Avg
-2%
State avg: 11.2
vs. National Avg
+186%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
1.4
Over 8 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Polk County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Polk 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
12105
FL state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 6
Tropical Storm 4
Fire 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 5 45.5%
of all 11 declarations
Emergency - 5 45.5%
of all 11 declarations
Fire Management - 1 9.1%
of all 11 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4834 | HURRICANE MILTON | DR | Hurricane | 2024-10-11 |
| 3622 | HURRICANE MILTON | EM | Hurricane | 2024-10-07 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4734 | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR | Hurricane | 2023-08-31 |
| 3596 | TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | EM | Tropical Storm | 2023-08-28 |
| 4680 | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR | Hurricane | 2022-12-13 |
| 3587 | TROPICAL STORM NICOLE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2022-11-08 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 5180 | INDIAN LAKE ESTATES FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-04-22 |
Storm Events in Florida
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,945 | 21 | 52 | $31.8M |
| Hail | 1,205 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| Heavy Rain | 1,059 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 976 | 15 | 0 | $3.1B |
| Tropical Storm | 874 | 107 | 6 | $5.2B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 96.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$212.6M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Very High
Lightning Very High
Hurricane Very High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Winter Weather No Rating
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 Florida
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Polk County, Florida had?
Polk County, Florida has received 11 FEMA disaster declarations from 2017 to 2025. Of these, 5 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Polk County?
The most common disaster type in Polk County is Hurricane, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Tropical Storm (4), Fire (1).
How does Polk County's disaster risk compare to the Florida average?
Polk County has 11 disaster declarations, which is 2% lower than the Florida county average of 11.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 186% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Polk County received?
Polk County has received 5 major disaster declarations, representing 45% of all 11 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Florida?
The most common storm types in Florida include Thunderstorm Wind (5,945 events), Hail (1,205 events), Heavy Rain (1,059 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Polk County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Polk County was 2023, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2017 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Polk County?
Polk County has recorded 11 FEMA disaster declarations, a volume FEMA data classifies as high-risk, well above what most U.S. counties see over the same period.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Polk County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Polk County, Florida has an overall risk score of 96.5 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $212.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Polk County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Polk County is Strong Wind (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Lightning (Very High) and Hurricane (Very High). 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 Polk County
Polk County, FL runs 2% below the Florida county average for federal disaster declarations (11 vs 11), a high historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (5 of 11) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Florida 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.