FEMA Records
66
Very high volume
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Riverside County, CA
66 FEMA disaster declarations (1966-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very High. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 66
- FEMA declarations
- 31
- Major disasters
- 100
- NRI risk · Very High
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Riverside County. Its 66 FEMA declarations are 131% above the California county mean and exceed the count for 99% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 1%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 1%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 66
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 1,636
- 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 06065 · Riverside County 66 declarations · rank 2/3,266
DECL-MEGA · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-TOP · CLEAR-PEER · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-HIGH
- DECL-MEGA 66
- MAJOR-LIGHT 47%
- RANK-TOP #2
- CLEAR-PEER San Bernardino
- NRI-HIGH Very High
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-HIGH +131%
Nearest declaration peer: San Bernardino, CA (5 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · California state profile
Riverside County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Riverside County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Riverside · this county
Riverside · this county
66 declarations
- San Bernardino · near
San Bernardino · near
61 declarations
- Ascension · near
Ascension · near
58 declarations
- St. Martin · near
St. Martin · near
54 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Riverside County carries 66 FEMA declaration records, ranked 2 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Riverside County ranks in the national declaration registry
Riverside County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Riverside County
66 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Riverside County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Riverside County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $1.1B Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Very High), while Wildfire 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 Riverside County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 1,636 claims and $21.2M 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 $13.0K. 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. Riverside County's 66 federal records stand 131% above the California county mean of 28.5. 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 99.9/100 (Very High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very High (roughly $2.3B in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Wildfire stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 51 years here.
87 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Riverside County, CA · 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
30/30
66 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (3.2x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
25/25
66 declarations (2.3x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
12/25
31 of 66 declarations are major disasters (47%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Riverside County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Riverside 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
47%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
100
Very High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Riverside 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 | Very High | roughly once every 51 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Very High | an average of 7.4 times per year |
| Earthquake | Very High | roughly once every 8 years |
| Landslide | Relatively High | an average of 22 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 14 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 14 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 12 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.4 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 10,000 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 57 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 4 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 80 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 70 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 38
Flood 13
Severe Storm 7
Hurricane 2
Biological 2
Freezing 2
Earthquake 1
Coastal Storm 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Riverside County's record, 58% 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 - 31 47.0%
of all 66 declarations
Fire Management - 30 45.5%
of all 66 declarations
Emergency - 5 7.6%
of all 66 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
Show 20 earlier declaration years
| 2006 | 3 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 8 | |
| 2003 | 3 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1983 | 3 | |
| 1981 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1969 | 1 | |
| 1967 | 1 | |
| 1966 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 66 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 66 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5636 | BAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-05-20 |
| 5538 | AIRPORT FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-09-11 |
| 5515 | HAWARDEN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-21 |
| 4750 | TROPICAL STORM HILARY | DR | Hurricane | 2023-11-21 |
| 3591 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-01-09 |
| 5451 | FAIRVIEW FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-09-06 |
| 5381 | BLUE RIDGE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-10-26 |
| 5325 | APPLE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-08-02 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3428 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5300 | 46 FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-10-31 |
| 5299 | HILL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-10-30 |
| 4431 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-05-01 |
| 5268 | HOLY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-08-09 |
| 5260 | CRANSTON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-07-25 |
| 3396 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2017-12-08 |
| 5223 | CANYON 2 FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-10-09 |
| 5213 | CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-09-26 |
| 4305 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2017-03-16 |
| 5041 | SILVER FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-08-08 |
Show 46 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5040 | FALLS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-08-06 |
| 5023 | SUMMIT FIRE | FM | Fire | 2013-05-01 |
| 1952 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND DEBRIS AND MUD FLOWS | DR | Flood | 2011-01-26 |
| 1884 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND DEBRIS AND MUD FLOWS | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-03-08 |
| 1810 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2008-11-18 |
| 2792 | FREEWAY FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2008-11-15 |
| 1731 | WILDFIRES, FLOODING, MUD FLOWS, AND DEBRIS FLOWS | DR | Fire | 2007-10-24 |
| 3279 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2007-10-23 |
| 1689 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 2007-03-13 |
| 2678 | ESPERANZA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-10-26 |
| 2676 | ORCHARD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-09-17 |
| 2630 | SIERRA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-02-06 |
| 2584 | WOODHOUSE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-10-06 |
| 3248 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1585 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-04-14 |
| 1577 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, DEBRIS FLOWS, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-02-04 |
| 2533 | CA-MELTON WILDFIRE-07-18-2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-07-18 |
| 2530 | CA-LAKEVIEW-07-14-2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-07-14 |
| 2517 | CA-CERRITOS FIRE-5-04-2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-05-04 |
| 2516 | CA-EAGLE FIRE-05-04-2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-05-04 |
| 2515 | CA - PLEASURE FIRE - 04-25-2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-04-26 |
| 1498 | WILDFIRES, FLOODING, MUDFLOW AND DEBRIS FLOW DIRECTLY RELATED T | DR | Fire | 2003-10-27 |
| 2507 | CA-MOUNTAIN FIRE-10-26-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-10-26 |
| 2500 | PASS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2003-10-21 |
| 2491 | CA-LOCUST WILDFIRE-08-19-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-08-19 |
| 2487 | CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2003-07-25 |
| 2475 | CA-RAILROAD FIRE-07-03-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-07-03 |
| 1203 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-02-09 |
| 1046 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOW | DR | Severe Storm | 1995-03-12 |
| 1044 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOWS | DR | Severe Storm | 1995-01-10 |
| 1005 | FIRES, MUD/LANDSLIDES, FLOODING, SOIL EROSION | DR | Fire | 1993-10-28 |
| 979 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, MUD & LAND SLIDES, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1993-02-03 |
| 947 | EARTHQUAKE & AFTERSHOCKS | DR | Earthquake | 1992-07-02 |
| 894 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 1991-02-11 |
| 872 | FIRES | DR | Fire | 1990-06-30 |
| 690 | FLASH FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1983-09-22 |
| 687 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1983-07-01 |
| 677 | COASTAL STORMS, FLOODS, SLIDES & TORNADOES | DR | Coastal Storm | 1983-02-09 |
| 635 | BRUSH & TIMBER FIRES | DR | Fire | 1980-11-27 |
| 615 | SEVERE STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1980-02-21 |
| 594 | HEAVY RAINS, FLASH FLOODS & MUD FLOWS | DR | Flood | 1979-07-27 |
| 547 | COASTAL STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1978-02-15 |
| 521 | FLOODING, TROPICAL STORM KATHLEEN | DR | Flood | 1976-09-21 |
| 253 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1969-01-26 |
| 223 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1967-01-02 |
| 211 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1965-12-07 |
Storm Events in California
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Riverside County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,070 | 13 | 27 | $228.2M |
| Flood | 3,132 | 26 | 25 | $985.1M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,814 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Dense Fog | 1,605 | 52 | 148 | $2.8M |
| Drought | 1,421 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
1,636
Total Paid
$21.2M
Avg Per Claim
$13.0K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very High
Score: 99.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very High
$2.3B/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Very High
Riverine Flooding Very High
Earthquake Very High
Landslide Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Drought Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Hurricane 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 Riverside County the two measures on this page point the same way: Wildfire is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Very 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
Riverside County's closest FEMA peer: Ascension Parish, LA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Riverside County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Riverside County shows 66 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Riverside County: 31 of 66 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Riverside County: NRI composite 99.9 (Very 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 Riverside County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Riverside 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: 99.9 (Very High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 66. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Riverside County's NFIP claims file (1,636 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 Riverside County?
The most common disaster type in Riverside County is Fire, with 38 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (13), Severe Storm (7), Hurricane (2).
How does Riverside County's FEMA declaration record compare with the California average?
FEMA lists 66 declaration records for Riverside County. That is 131% above the California county mean of 28.5. Its count is also 219% 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 Riverside County received?
Riverside County has received 31 major disaster declarations, representing 47% of all 66 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Riverside County filed?
Riverside County has 1,636 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $21.2M in payments, with an average of $13.0K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Riverside County?
No. In Riverside County, Wildfire has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $1.1B. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Riverside County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Riverside County was 2004, with 8 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1966 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Riverside County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Riverside County, California has an overall risk score of 99.9 out of 100 (Very High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very High, representing $2.3B in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Riverside County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Riverside County is Wildfire (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Riverine Flooding (Very High) and Earthquake (Very High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 51 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 Riverside County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · California profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events