FEMA Records
51
Very high volume
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
San Diego County, CA
51 FEMA disaster declarations (1966-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very High. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 51
- FEMA declarations
- 27
- Major disasters
- 100
- NRI risk · Very High
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for San Diego County. Its 51 FEMA declarations are 79% 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
- 51
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 2,442
- 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 06073 · San Diego County 51 declarations · rank 14/3,266
DECL-MEGA · MAJOR-MID · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-HIGH
- DECL-MEGA 51
- MAJOR-MID 53%
- RANK-TOP #14
- PHOTO-FINISH Oklahoma
- NRI-HIGH Very High
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-HIGH +79%
Nearest declaration peer: Oklahoma, OK (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · California state profile
San Diego County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among San Diego County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Livingston · near
Livingston · near
52 declarations
- Oklahoma · near
Oklahoma · near
51 declarations
- San Diego · this county
San Diego · this county
51 declarations
- St. Charles · near
St. Charles · near
51 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows San Diego County carries 51 FEMA declaration records, ranked 14 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where San Diego County ranks in the national declaration registry
San Diego County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · San Diego County
51 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
San Diego County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for San Diego County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $647.6M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively 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 San Diego County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 2,442 claims and $48.0M 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 $19.7K. 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. San Diego County's 51 federal records stand 79% 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 99.7/100 (Very High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very High (roughly $1.5B 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 38 years here.
83 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
San Diego 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
51 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (2.5x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
22/25
51 declarations (1.8x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share High
13/25
27 of 51 declarations are major disasters (53%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in San Diego County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - San Diego 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
53%
Major-heavy
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 San Diego 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 38 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Very High | an average of 7.9 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | roughly once every 9 years |
| Landslide | Relatively High | an average of 177 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 10 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 11 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 10 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.6 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 54 modeled event-days per year |
| Tsunami | Relatively Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 5 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 3.7 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 10,000 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 94 years |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 16,549 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 28
Flood 12
Severe Storm 5
Biological 2
Freezing 2
Hurricane 1
Coastal Storm 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on San Diego County's record, 55% 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 - 27 52.9%
of all 51 declarations
Fire Management - 18 35.3%
of all 51 declarations
Emergency - 6 11.8%
of all 51 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 5 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 4 | |
| 2004 | 4 | |
Show 16 earlier declaration years
| 2002 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1988 | 1 | |
| 1985 | 1 | |
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
| 1967 | 1 | |
| 1966 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 51 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 51 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4758 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-02-19 |
| 4683 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-01-14 |
| 3591 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-01-09 |
| 4569 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2020-10-16 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3428 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5251 | WEST FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-07-06 |
| 4353 | WILDFIRES, FLOODING, MUDFLOWS, AND DEBRIS FLOWS | DR | Fire | 2018-01-02 |
| 3396 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2017-12-08 |
| 5228 | LILAC FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-12-07 |
| 4305 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2017-03-16 |
| 5128 | BORDER 3 FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-06-19 |
| 5054 | POINSETTIA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-05-14 |
| 5055 | COCOS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-05-14 |
| 5021 | SHOCKEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-09-24 |
| 1952 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND DEBRIS AND MUD FLOWS | DR | Flood | 2011-01-26 |
| 1731 | WILDFIRES, FLOODING, MUD FLOWS, AND DEBRIS FLOWS | DR | Fire | 2007-10-24 |
| 3279 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2007-10-23 |
| 2739 | RICE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-10-22 |
| 2734 | WITCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-10-21 |
Show 31 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2735 | HARRIS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-10-21 |
| 2729 | ANGEL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-09-15 |
| 1689 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 2007-03-13 |
| 2656 | HORSE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-07-24 |
| 2585 | BORDER # 50 FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-10-06 |
| 3248 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 2582 | SUNDEVIL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-09-05 |
| 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 |
| 2529 | CA - MATAGUAY FIRE - 7-13-2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-07-14 |
| 1498 | WILDFIRES, FLOODING, MUDFLOW AND DEBRIS FLOW DIRECTLY RELATED T | DR | Fire | 2003-10-27 |
| 2505 | CA-CEDAR FIRE-10-26-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-10-26 |
| 2506 | PARADISE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2003-10-26 |
| 2456 | CA - PINES FIRE - 07/30/02 | FM | Fire | 2002-07-30 |
| 2396 | GAVILAN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2002-02-11 |
| 1203 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-02-09 |
| 3120 | SEVERE FIRESTORMS | EM | Fire | 1996-10-23 |
| 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 |
| 894 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 1991-02-11 |
| 812 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH TIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1988-02-05 |
| 739 | GRASS, WILDLANDS, & FOREST FIRES | DR | Fire | 1985-07-18 |
| 677 | COASTAL STORMS, FLOODS, SLIDES & TORNADOES | DR | Coastal Storm | 1983-02-09 |
| 615 | SEVERE STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1980-02-21 |
| 547 | COASTAL STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1978-02-15 |
| 364 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH TIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-02-08 |
| 295 | FOREST & BRUSH FIRES | DR | Fire | 1970-09-29 |
| 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 San Diego 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
2,442
Total Paid
$48.0M
Avg Per Claim
$19.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very High
Score: 99.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very High
$1.5B/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Very High
Riverine Flooding Very High
Earthquake Relatively High
Landslide Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively High
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Tsunami Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Cold Wave 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 San Diego 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
San Diego County's closest FEMA peer: St. Charles Parish, LA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for San Diego County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
San Diego County shows 51 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
San Diego County: 27 of 51 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
San Diego County: NRI composite 99.7 (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 San Diego County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for San Diego 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: 99.7 (Very High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 51. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
San Diego County's NFIP claims file (2,442 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 San Diego County?
The most common disaster type in San Diego County is Fire, with 28 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (12), Severe Storm (5), Biological (2).
How does San Diego County's FEMA declaration record compare with the California average?
FEMA lists 51 declaration records for San Diego County. That is 79% above the California county mean of 28.5. Its count is also 146% 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 San Diego County received?
San Diego County has received 27 major disaster declarations, representing 53% of all 51 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has San Diego County filed?
San Diego County has 2,442 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $48.0M in payments, with an average of $19.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in San Diego County?
No. In San Diego County, Wildfire has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $647.6M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in San Diego County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in San Diego County was 2008, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1966 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for San Diego County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, San Diego County, California has an overall risk score of 99.7 out of 100 (Very High). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Low, while community resilience comes in at Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very High, representing $1.5B in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to San Diego County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for San Diego County as of the latest release is Wildfire (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Riverine Flooding (Very High) and Earthquake (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 38 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 San Diego County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · California profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events