FEMA Records
2
Total declarations
Alabama · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Russell County, AL
2 FEMA disaster declarations (2016–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 2
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 55
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Russell County in the top 45% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 22% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Russell County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Alabama county average and the national county average.
- Russell County
- 2
- Alabama county avg
- 2.4
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Russell County?
Russell County, Alabama has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2016 and 2024, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 0.3 declarations per year across a 8-year record, or roughly 17% below the Alabama county average of 2.4 and 47% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 1 of 2 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 54.7/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $14.7M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively High and community resilience scores Very Low — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Lightning (Relatively High).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Russell County at a low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Russell County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Low
vs. Alabama Avg
-17%
State avg: 2.4
vs. National Avg
-47%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
0.3
Over 8 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Russell County
The radar plots Russell 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.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
01113
AL state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 2 FEMA disaster declarations in Russell County by incident type.
Hurricane 1
Severe Storm 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency — 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
Major Disaster — 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Russell County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 2 FEMA disaster declarations for Russell County, Alabama.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3618 | HURRICANE HELENE | EM | Hurricane | 2024-09-26 |
| 4251 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-01-21 |
Storm Events in Alabama
NOAA severe weather data for Alabama (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 9,359 | 18 | 130 | $56.0M |
| Hail | 1,533 | 0 | 0 | $5.0K |
| Flash Flood | 1,145 | 18 | 9 | $12.8M |
| Tornado | 991 | 60 | 361 | $58.7M |
| Drought | 962 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Russell County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 54.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$14.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Russell County.
Lightning Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Landslide Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
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 Alabama
Other Alabama counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Russell County, Alabama had?
Russell County, Alabama has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2016 to 2024. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Russell County?
The most common disaster type in Russell County is Hurricane, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (1).
How does Russell County's disaster risk compare to the Alabama average?
Russell County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 17% lower than the Alabama county average of 2.4 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 47% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Russell County received?
Russell County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 50% of all 2 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Alabama?
The most common storm types in Alabama include Thunderstorm Wind (9,359 events), Hail (1,533 events), Flash Flood (1,145 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Russell County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Russell County was 2016, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2016 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Russell County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Russell County has a low disaster risk level with 2 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Russell County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Russell County, Alabama has an overall risk score of 54.7 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $14.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Russell County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Russell County is Lightning (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Heat Wave (Relatively Low) and Drought (Relatively Moderate). 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 Russell County
Russell County, AL has 2 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a low historical disaster load, 17% below the Alabama county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 2) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Alabama 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.
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
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