FEMA Records
30
High volume
Puerto Rico · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Ponce Municipio, PR
30 FEMA disaster declarations (1971-2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of null. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 30
- FEMA declarations
- 20
- Major disasters
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
How does Ponce Municipio compare?
Ponce Municipio vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
30 Top 14% higher than 86% 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
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Ponce Municipio is led by Hurricane (about $73.2M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Coastal Flooding carries the highest National Risk Index rating (null). 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 Ponce Municipio's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 608 claims and $3.1M 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 $5.0K. 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. Ponce Municipio's 30 federal records stand 11% above the Puerto Rico county mean of 27.1. 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.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 30 entries for Ponce Municipio, including 20 Major Disaster records, 11% above the Puerto Rico county mean. Across the 54-year span, that works out to 0.6 declarations a year. Hurricane leads the file with 13 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
FEMA National Risk Index
Even the county's top-rated hazard, Coastal Flooding, only reaches on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 4 years here.
68 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Ponce Municipio, PR · 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) High
22/30
30 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
14/25
30 declarations (1.1x state county average of 27)
Major Disaster Share High
17/25
20 of 30 declarations are major disasters (67%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Ponce Municipio
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Puerto Rico Avg
+11%
State avg: 27.1
vs. National Avg
+45%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.6
Over 54 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Ponce Municipio
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
67%
Major-heavy
County FIPS
72113
PR state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Ponce Municipio?
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 | roughly once every 4 years | |
| Earthquake | roughly once every 29 years | |
| Hail | roughly once every 38 years | |
| Hurricane | roughly once every 5 years | |
| Heat Wave | 0.1 modeled event-days per year | |
| Riverine Flooding | an average of 2.1 times per year | |
| Landslide | an average of 20 times per year | |
| Lightning | an average of 67 times per year | |
| Strong Wind | roughly once every 242 years | |
| Tornado | roughly once every 122 years | |
| Tsunami | roughly once every 18 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 13
Severe Storm 6
Flood 6
Biological 2
Earthquake 2
Tropical Storm 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Ponce Municipio's federal record, 43% 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 - 20 66.7%
of all 30 declarations
Emergency - 10 33.3%
of all 30 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 6 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
Show 5 earlier declaration years
| 1988 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 2 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 30 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 30 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4850 | TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-11-27 |
| 3610 | TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO | EM | Severe Storm | 2024-08-13 |
| 4671 | HURRICANE FIONA | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-21 |
| 3583 | TROPICAL STORM FIONA | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-18 |
| 3537 | TROPICAL STORM LAURA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-22 |
| 3532 | POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE NINE | EM | Hurricane | 2020-07-29 |
| 4493 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3452 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4473 | EARTHQUAKES | DR | Earthquake | 2020-01-16 |
| 3426 | EARTHQUAKES | EM | Earthquake | 2020-01-07 |
| 3417 | TROPICAL STORM DORIAN | EM | Severe Storm | 2019-08-27 |
| 4339 | HURRICANE MARIA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-20 |
| 3391 | HURRICANE MARIA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-18 |
| 4017 | HURRICANE IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-08-27 |
| 3326 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-22 |
| 1946 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES, AND LANDSLIDES ASSOC W TS OTTO | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-10-26 |
| 1798 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-10-01 |
| 1613 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-11-10 |
| 1552 | TROPICAL STORM JEANNE AND RESULTING LANDSLIDES AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-09-17 |
| 3151 | HURRICANE LENNY | EM | Hurricane | 1999-11-17 |
Show 10 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1247 | HURRICANE GEORGES - 18 SEP 98 | DR | Hurricane | 1998-09-24 |
| 1136 | HURRICANE HORTENSE | DR | Hurricane | 1996-09-11 |
| 931 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1992-01-22 |
| 842 | HURRICANE HUGO | DR | Hurricane | 1989-09-21 |
| 805 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1987-12-17 |
| 746 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING & MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 1985-10-10 |
| 597 | HURRICANE DAVID | DR | Hurricane | 1979-09-02 |
| 483 | TROPICAL STORM ELIOISE | DR | Flood | 1975-09-19 |
| 455 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-11-30 |
| 296 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-10-12 |
Storm Events in Puerto Rico
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Ponce Municipio.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 907 | 31 | 14 | $19.0B |
| Flood | 858 | 2 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Debris Flow | 297 | 0 | 0 | $3.8M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 194 | 1 | 3 | $1.7M |
| Excessive Heat | 184 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
608
Total Paid
$3.1M
Avg Per Claim
$5.0K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Score: N/A/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$130.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Data Unavailable
Community Resilience
Data Unavailable
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Coastal Flooding
Earthquake
Hail
Hurricane
Heat Wave
Riverine Flooding
Landslide
Lightning
Strong Wind
Tornado
Tsunami
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 Ponce Municipio the two measures on this page point the same way: Coastal Flooding is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard, 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
Ponce Municipio's closest FEMA peer: Broome County, NY
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields for Ponce Municipio. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Ponce Municipio shows 30 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Ponce Municipio: 20 of 30 of its declarations are Major.
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 Ponce Municipio - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Ponce Municipio's NFIP claims file (608 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 Ponce Municipio?
The most common disaster type in Ponce Municipio is Hurricane, with 13 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (6), Flood (6), Biological (2).
How does Ponce Municipio's FEMA declaration record compare with the Puerto Rico average?
FEMA lists 30 declaration records for Ponce Municipio. That is 11% above the Puerto Rico county mean of 27.1. Its count is also 45% 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 Ponce Municipio received?
Ponce Municipio has received 20 major disaster declarations, representing 67% of all 30 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Ponce Municipio filed?
Ponce Municipio has 608 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $3.1M in payments, with an average of $5.0K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Ponce Municipio?
No. In Ponce Municipio, Coastal Flooding has the highest National Risk Index rating (null), while Hurricane leads Expected Annual Loss at about $73.2M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Ponce Municipio?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Ponce Municipio was 2020, with 6 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1971 to 2025.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Ponce Municipio?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Ponce Municipio, Puerto Rico has an overall risk score of N/A out of 100 (null). On social vulnerability the county rates Data Unavailable; on community resilience, Data Unavailable. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $130.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Ponce Municipio?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Ponce Municipio as of the latest release is Coastal Flooding (risk rating: null). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (null) and Hail (null). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts coastal flooding here at roughly once every 4 years. 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 Ponce Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR has 30 federal declaration records, 11% more than the Puerto Rico county mean of 27; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 20 of 30 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Puerto Rico overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Puerto Rico mean and the totals for 86% 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.