FEMA Records
33
Very high volume
Arkansas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Pulaski County, AR
33 FEMA disaster declarations (1968-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 33
- FEMA declarations
- 25
- Major disasters
- 97
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Pulaski County. Its 33 FEMA declarations are 36% above the Arkansas county mean and exceed the count for 91% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 3%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 3%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 33
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 1,719
- 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 05119 · Pulaski County 33 declarations · rank 266/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 33
- MAJOR-MID 76%
- RANK-UPPER #266
- PHOTO-FINISH Nelson
- NRI-HIGH 97
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Severe Storm
- VS-ST-ABOVE +36%
Nearest declaration peer: Nelson, ND (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Arkansas state profile
Pulaski County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Pulaski County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Garvin · near 33
Garvin · near
33 declarations
- Monterey · near 33
Monterey · near
33 declarations
- Nelson · near 33
Nelson · near
33 declarations
- Pulaski · this county 33
Pulaski · this county
33 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Pulaski County carries 33 FEMA declaration records, ranked 266 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Pulaski County ranks in the national declaration registry
Pulaski County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Pulaski County
33 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Pulaski County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Pulaski County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $91.0M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Ice Storm 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 Pulaski County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 1,719 claims and $30.4M 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 $17.7K. 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. Pulaski County's 33 federal records stand 36% above the Arkansas county mean of 24.2. 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 96.8/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $212.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Ice Storm stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 1.1 times per year here, based on 74 historical events on record.
78 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Pulaski County, AR · 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
24/30
33 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
17/25
33 declarations (1.4x state county average of 24)
Major Disaster Share Very High
19/25
25 of 33 declarations are major disasters (76%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Pulaski County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Pulaski 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
76%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
97
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Pulaski 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Very High | an average of 1.1 times per year |
| Tornado | Very High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | roughly once every 208 years |
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 5 times per year |
| Lightning | Very High | an average of 62 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 4.9 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | an average of 3.3 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively High | an average of 5.1 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 19 modeled event-days per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1 time per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1,126 years |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | roughly once every 38 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 9.8 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 12
Flood 8
Severe Ice Storm 4
Tornado 4
Hurricane 2
Biological 2
Winter Storm 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Pulaski County's record, 36% 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 - 25 75.8%
of all 33 declarations
Emergency - 8 24.2%
of all 33 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
Show 11 earlier declaration years
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
| 1988 | 1 | |
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1969 | 1 | |
| 1968 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 33 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 33 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3636 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 4873 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2025-05-21 |
| 3627 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-04-05 |
| 4698 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-02 |
| 3541 | HURRICANE LAURA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-27 |
| 4518 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-03 |
| 3461 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4441 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2019-06-08 |
| 3414 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | EM | Flood | 2019-05-30 |
| 4318 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-06-15 |
| 4174 | SEVERE STORMS,TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-04-29 |
| 4100 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2013-01-29 |
| 1975 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND ASSOCIATED FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-05-02 |
| 1872 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-02-04 |
| 1861 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-12-03 |
| 3301 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2009-01-28 |
| 1758 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-05-20 |
| 1751 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-03-26 |
| 3215 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-02 |
| 1354 | SEVERE WINTER ICE STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2000-12-29 |
Show 13 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3159 | SEVERE WINTER ICE STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2000-12-28 |
| 1266 | AR SEVERE WEATHER 1-21-99 | DR | Severe Storm | 1999-01-23 |
| 1162 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-03-02 |
| 865 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-05-15 |
| 817 | SEVERE STORMS & TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1988-11-23 |
| 807 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1987-12-31 |
| 673 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1982-12-13 |
| 617 | SEVERE STORMS & TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1980-04-16 |
| 564 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1978-09-15 |
| 498 | TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1976-04-01 |
| 375 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-04-27 |
| 254 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1969-02-15 |
| 239 | TORNADOES, SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 1968-05-29 |
Storm Events in Arkansas
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Pulaski County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,657 | 10 | 23 | $60.9M |
| Hail | 2,230 | 0 | 0 | $7.7M |
| Flash Flood | 1,517 | 12 | 3 | $15.9M |
| Heat | 1,222 | 2 | 325 | $0 |
| Flood | 1,152 | 9 | 0 | $40.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
1,719
Total Paid
$30.4M
Avg Per Claim
$17.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 96.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$212.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Ice Storm Very High
Tornado Very High
Earthquake Relatively High
Winter Weather Very High
Lightning Very High
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively High
Hail Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Hurricane Relatively Low
Drought 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: Ice Storm
Ice storms load power lines and tree limbs with accumulating freezing rain until they fail. The characteristic cost is infrastructure and multi-day power loss across a wide area rather than structural damage to buildings, which is why their consequences often outlast the weather that caused them.
Worth noting for Pulaski County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Ice Storm carries the highest modeled rating (Very 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
Pulaski County's closest FEMA peer: Mendocino County, CA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Pulaski County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Pulaski County shows 33 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Pulaski County: 25 of 33 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Pulaski County: NRI composite 96.8 (Relatively High).
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 Pulaski County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Pulaski 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: 96.8 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 33. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Pulaski County's NFIP claims file (1,719 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 Pulaski County?
The most common disaster type in Pulaski County is Severe Storm, with 12 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (8), Severe Ice Storm (4), Tornado (4).
How does Pulaski County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Arkansas average?
FEMA lists 33 declaration records for Pulaski County. That is 36% above the Arkansas county mean of 24.2. Its count is also 59% 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 Pulaski County received?
Pulaski County has received 25 major disaster declarations, representing 76% of all 33 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Pulaski County filed?
Pulaski County has 1,719 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $30.4M in payments, with an average of $17.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Pulaski County?
No. In Pulaski County, Ice Storm has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $91.0M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Pulaski County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Pulaski County was 2020, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1968 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Pulaski County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Pulaski County, Arkansas has an overall risk score of 96.8 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $212.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Pulaski County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Pulaski County is Ice Storm (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Very High) and Earthquake (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts ice storm here at an average of 1.1 times per year, drawn from 74 historical events on record. 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 Pulaski County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Arkansas profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events