FEMA Records
13
Low volume
Montana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Ravalli County, MT
13 FEMA disaster declarations (1996-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 13
- FEMA declarations
- 7
- Major disasters
- 78
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Ravalli County. Its 13 FEMA declarations are 18% above the Montana county mean and exceed the count for 17% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 22%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 22%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 13
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 36
- 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 30081 · Ravalli County 13 declarations · rank 2684/3,266
DECL-MID · MAJOR-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-MID 13
- MAJOR-MID 54%
- RANK-LOWER #2,684
- PHOTO-FINISH Clarke
- NRI-LOW 78
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-ABOVE +18%
Nearest declaration peer: Clarke, GA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Montana state profile
Ravalli County among counties with fewer federal records
FEMA declaration records among Ravalli County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Bristol (city) · near 13
Bristol (city) · near
13 declarations
- Clarke · near 13
Clarke · near
13 declarations
- Douglas · near 13
Douglas · near
13 declarations
- Ravalli · this county 13
Ravalli · this county
13 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Ravalli County carries 13 FEMA declaration records, ranked 2684 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Ravalli County versus quieter counties in this dataset
Ravalli County among lower-declaration counties nationally
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Ravalli County
13 17th percentile higher than 17% 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
Ravalli County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Ravalli County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 78.5/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $37.0M 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, Wildfire stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 78 years here.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 36 claims and $115.5K paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Ravalli County's 13 federal records stand 18% above the Montana county mean of 11.0. 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.
52 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Ravalli County, MT · 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) Moderate
9/30
13 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
15/25
13 declarations (1.2x state county average of 11)
Major Disaster Share High
13/25
7 of 13 declarations are major disasters (54%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Ravalli County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Ravalli 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
54%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
78
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Ravalli 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | roughly once every 78 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.2 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 53 times per year |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | roughly once every 6 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 8 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 224 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 27 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 0.7 modeled event-days per year |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 34 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 29 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 5
Severe Storm 3
Biological 2
Straight-Line Winds 1
Flood 1
Hurricane 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Ravalli County's record, 38% of its declarations. Wildfire is the one hazard here with its own dedicated federal instrument: the Fire Management Assistance Grant, which appears in this data as an FM record. An FMAG can be authorised while a fire is still burning, on a timescale of hours, because its purpose is to reimburse the cost of fighting a fire that threatens to become a major disaster.
That distinction matters when comparing counties. An FM declaration is not a presidential major disaster declaration and does not carry the same assistance programmes, so a fire-heavy county's total is not directly comparable with a hurricane-heavy county's total unless the declaration types are separated, which is why they are listed separately on this page.
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 - 7 53.8%
of all 13 declarations
Fire Management - 4 30.8%
of all 13 declarations
Emergency - 2 15.4%
of all 13 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 2 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 13 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 13 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4902 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Straight-Line Winds | 2026-04-07 |
| 4508 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-31 |
| 3476 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5197 | LOLO PEAK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-08-17 |
| 5143 | ROARING LION FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-08-01 |
| 4172 | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2014-04-17 |
| 5016 | SAWTOOTH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-09-11 |
| 1996 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-06-17 |
| 3253 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1340 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2000-08-30 |
| 2317 | MT-SOUTHWESTERN ZONE TWO FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2000-08-05 |
| 1183 | SEVERE STORMS,ICE JAMS, SNOW MELT, FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-07-25 |
| 1105 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND ICE JAMS | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-02-23 |
Storm Events in Montana
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Ravalli County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 3,735 | 1 | 2 | $5.3M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,396 | 5 | 24 | $15.1M |
| Hail | 2,015 | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| Winter Storm | 1,502 | 13 | 18 | $11.2M |
| Heavy Snow | 796 | 5 | 3 | $143.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
36
Total Paid
$115.5K
Avg Per Claim
$3.2K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 78.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$37.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Avalanche Relatively High
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Drought Very Low
Strong Wind 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: Wildfire
Wildfire risk in the model reflects fuel, terrain, weather and how much development sits in the wildland-urban interface. It is one of the few hazards where the exposure is materially changed by land management and building choices, not only by where the county happens to be.
For Ravalli County the two measures on this page point the same way: Wildfire is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively High), and Fire 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
Ravalli County's closest FEMA peer: Bibb County, GA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Ravalli County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
Ravalli County: NRI composite 78.5 (Relatively Low).
Similar Major-disaster share
Ravalli County: 7 of 13 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
Ravalli County shows 13 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
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 Ravalli County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Ravalli 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: 78.5 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 13. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 13 FEMA declarations, Ravalli County sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.
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 Ravalli County?
The most common disaster type in Ravalli County is Fire, with 5 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (3), Biological (2), Straight-Line Winds (1).
How does Ravalli County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Montana average?
FEMA lists 13 declaration records for Ravalli County. That is 18% above the Montana county mean of 11.0. Its count is also 37% below 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 Ravalli County received?
Ravalli County has received 7 major disaster declarations, representing 54% of all 13 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Ravalli County filed?
Ravalli County has 36 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $115.5K in payments, with an average of $3.2K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Ravalli County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Ravalli County was 2000, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1996 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Ravalli County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Ravalli County, Montana has an overall risk score of 78.5 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Moderate, while community resilience comes in at Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $37.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Ravalli County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Ravalli County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively Moderate) and Cold Wave (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 78 years. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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 Ravalli County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Montana profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events