FEMA Records
5
Total declarations
Kansas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Russell County, KS
5 FEMA disaster declarations (2017–2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 5
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 13
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Russell County ranks safer than 13% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 71% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Very Low, based on 5 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2017, most often severe storm, 30% above the national county average of 4.
- Safer than 13%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 5
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 4
- severe storm declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Russell County compare?
Russell County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
5 Top 29% higher than 71% of 2,791 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 · 2026-07-25
Russell County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Kansas county average
How disaster-prone is Russell County?
Declaration frequency
Russell County, Kansas has recorded 5 FEMA disaster declarations between 2017 and 2025, of which 4 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 0.6 declarations per year across a 8-year record, or roughly 86% above the Kansas county average of 2.7 and 30% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 4 of 5 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's National Risk Index places this county in the low end of the national distribution, composite score 12.5/100 (Very Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $5.8M in annualized losses). Two modifiers shape how that exposure becomes real-world harm here: social vulnerability (Relatively Low) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate). Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Ice Storm stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators put Russell County at a moderate relative risk level, not the calmest county on record, but not among the most disaster-prone either.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. Kansas Avg
+86%
State avg: 2.7
vs. National Avg
+30%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
0.6
Over 8 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Russell County
How to read this radar
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. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
20167
KS state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 4
Fire 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 4 80.0%
of all 5 declarations
Fire Management - 1 20.0%
of all 5 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4869 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-05-21 |
| 4811 | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-08-20 |
| 4747 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-10-26 |
| 4640 | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-02-17 |
| 5172 | ELLSWORTH-LINCOLN-RUSSELL FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2017-03-06 |
Storm Events in Kansas
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 9,326 | 3 | 34 | $37.6M |
| Hail | 9,269 | 0 | 10 | $32.1M |
| High Wind | 2,039 | 2 | 8 | $10.9M |
| Drought | 1,636 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Flash Flood | 1,123 | 6 | 15 | $39.5M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 12.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$5.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Ice Storm Relatively High
Hail Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Hurricane No Rating
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 Kansas
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Russell County, Kansas had?
Russell County, Kansas has received 5 FEMA disaster declarations from 2017 to 2025. Of these, 4 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Russell County?
The most common disaster type in Russell County is Severe Storm, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Fire (1).
How does Russell County's disaster risk compare to the Kansas average?
Russell County has 5 disaster declarations, which is 86% higher than the Kansas county average of 2.7 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 30% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Russell County received?
Russell County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 80% of all 5 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Kansas?
The most common storm types in Kansas include Thunderstorm Wind (9,326 events), Hail (9,269 events), High Wind (2,039 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 2024, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2017 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Russell County?
With 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Russell County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Russell County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Russell County, Kansas has an overall risk score of 12.5 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $5.8M 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 Ice Storm (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hail (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, KS runs 86% above the Kansas county average for federal disaster declarations (5 vs 3), a moderate historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (4 of 5) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Kansas 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. 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. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.