FEMA Records
10
Total declarations
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Santa Barbara County, CA
10 FEMA disaster declarations (2018–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 10
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 99
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Santa Barbara County ranks in the riskiest 1% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 94% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively High, based on 10 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2018, most often fire, 160% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 1%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 10
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 4
- fire 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 Santa Barbara County compare?
Santa Barbara County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
10 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Santa Barbara County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the California county average
How disaster-prone is Santa Barbara County?
Declaration frequency
Santa Barbara County, California has recorded 10 FEMA disaster declarations between 2018 and 2024, of which 4 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.7 declarations per year across a 6-year record, or roughly 29% above the California county average of 7.8 and 160% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Fire, with 4 of 10 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 99.0/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $477.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Landslide stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators place Santa Barbara County at a high relative risk level, its federal disaster history outpaces most of the country, and it is worth pairing that record with forward-looking hazard maps before making insurance or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
High
vs. California Avg
+29%
State avg: 7.8
vs. National Avg
+160%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
1.7
Over 6 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Santa Barbara County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Santa Barbara 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
06083
CA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Fire 4
Flood 3
Severe Storm 2
Biological 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 40.0%
of all 10 declarations
Fire Management - 4 40.0%
of all 10 declarations
Emergency - 2 20.0%
of all 10 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4769 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-13 |
| 4699 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-03 |
| 3592 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-03-10 |
| 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 |
| 5419 | ALISAL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-10-13 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 5303 | CAVE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-11-26 |
| 5252 | HOLIDAY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-07-07 |
| 5224 | THOMAS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-12-05 |
Storm Events in California
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,876 | 14 | 30 | $229.3M |
| Flood | 3,682 | 33 | 31 | $991.0M |
| Heavy Snow | 2,071 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Drought | 2,039 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Dense Fog | 1,820 | 59 | 164 | $3.5M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 99.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$477.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Very High
Drought Very High
Earthquake Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Tsunami Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Hail Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Winter Weather 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 California
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Santa Barbara County, California had?
Santa Barbara County, California has received 10 FEMA disaster declarations from 2018 to 2024. Of these, 4 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Santa Barbara County?
The most common disaster type in Santa Barbara County is Fire, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (3), Severe Storm (2), Biological (1).
How does Santa Barbara County's disaster risk compare to the California average?
Santa Barbara County has 10 disaster declarations, which is 29% higher than the California county average of 7.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 160% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Santa Barbara County received?
Santa Barbara County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 40% of all 10 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in California?
The most common storm types in California include High Wind (4,876 events), Flood (3,682 events), Heavy Snow (2,071 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Santa Barbara County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Santa Barbara County was 2023, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2018 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Santa Barbara County?
Santa Barbara County has recorded 10 FEMA disaster declarations, a volume FEMA data classifies as high-risk, well above what most U.S. counties see over the same period.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Santa Barbara County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Santa Barbara County, California has an overall risk score of 99.0 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $477.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Santa Barbara County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Santa Barbara County is Landslide (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Drought (Very High) and Earthquake (Relatively High). 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 Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, CA runs 29% above the California county average for federal disaster declarations (10 vs 8), a high historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (4 of 10) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. California 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.