FEMA Records
43
Very high volume
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Santa Rosa County, FL
43 FEMA disaster declarations (1970-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 43
- FEMA declarations
- 27
- Major disasters
- 89
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Santa Rosa County. Its 43 FEMA declarations are 7% above the Florida county mean and exceed the count for 98% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 11%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 11%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 43
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 10,438
- 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 12113 · Santa Rosa County 43 declarations · rank 73/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 43
- MAJOR-MID 63%
- RANK-UPPER #73
- PHOTO-FINISH Iberia
- NRI-MID 89
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-ABOVE +7%
Nearest declaration peer: Iberia, LA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Florida state profile
Santa Rosa County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Santa Rosa County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Calhoun · near
Calhoun · near
43 declarations
- Cleveland · near
Cleveland · near
43 declarations
- Iberia · near
Iberia · near
43 declarations
- Santa Rosa · this county
Santa Rosa · this county
43 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Santa Rosa County carries 43 FEMA declaration records, ranked 73 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Santa Rosa County ranks in the national declaration registry
Santa Rosa County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Santa Rosa County
43 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Santa Rosa County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Santa Rosa County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 10,438 claims and $527.5M 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 $50.5K. 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. Santa Rosa County's 43 federal records stand 7% above the Florida county mean of 40.4. 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 89.0/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $101.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Hurricane stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 4 years here, based on 94 historical events on record.
74 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Santa Rosa County, FL · 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
43 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (2.1x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
43 declarations (1.1x state county average of 40)
Major Disaster Share High
16/25
27 of 43 declarations are major disasters (63%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Santa Rosa County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Santa Rosa 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
63%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
89
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Santa Rosa 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | roughly once every 4 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 85 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 9 modeled event-days per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 403 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.6 times per year |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.8 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 1,044 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 14 modeled event-days per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 1.2 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 7 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | an average of 1.8 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 12 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 24
Severe Storm 7
Flood 5
Tropical Storm 3
Fire 2
Biological 2
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Santa Rosa County's federal record, 56% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
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 62.8%
of all 43 declarations
Emergency - 15 34.9%
of all 43 declarations
Fire Management - 1 2.3%
of all 43 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 3 | |
| 1998 | 4 | |
Show 7 earlier declaration years
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 2 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 2 | |
| 1975 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 43 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 43 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4828 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-28 |
| 3615 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4794 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-06-17 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 3562 | TROPICAL STORM FRED | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-16 |
| 4564 | HURRICANE SALLY | DR | Hurricane | 2020-09-23 |
| 3546 | HURRICANE SALLY | EM | Hurricane | 2020-09-15 |
| 5307 | 5 MILE SWAMP FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-05-06 |
| 4486 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3432 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3419 | HURRICANE DORIAN | EM | Hurricane | 2019-08-30 |
| 3405 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM | Hurricane | 2018-10-09 |
| 3395 | HURRICANE NATE | EM | Hurricane | 2017-10-08 |
| 4337 | HURRICANE IRMA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-10 |
| 3385 | HURRICANE IRMA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-05 |
| 4177 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-05-06 |
| 4084 | HURRICANE ISAAC | DR | Hurricane | 2012-10-18 |
Show 23 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4068 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-07-03 |
| 1831 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-04-21 |
| 1806 | HURRICANE GUSTAV | DR | Hurricane | 2008-10-27 |
| 3288 | TROPICAL STORM FAY | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-08-21 |
| 3220 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-05 |
| 1602 | HURRICANE KATRINA | DR | Hurricane | 2005-08-28 |
| 1595 | HURRICANE DENNIS | DR | Hurricane | 2005-07-10 |
| 1551 | HURRICANE IVAN | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-16 |
| 1545 | HURRICANE FRANCES | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-04 |
| 1539 | TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND HURRICANE CHARLEY | DR | Hurricane | 2004-08-13 |
| 1249 | HURRICANE GEORGES | DR | Hurricane | 1998-09-28 |
| 3131 | HURRICANE GRORGES | EM | Hurricane | 1998-09-25 |
| 1223 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARD | DR | Fire | 1998-06-18 |
| 1195 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-01-06 |
| 1069 | HURRICANE OPAL | DR | Hurricane | 1995-10-04 |
| 1062 | HURRICANE ERIN | DR | Hurricane | 1995-08-10 |
| 1035 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING (TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO) | DR | Severe Storm | 1994-07-10 |
| 3114 | TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO | EM | Flood | 1994-07-08 |
| 862 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-04-03 |
| 600 | HURRICANE FREDERIC | DR | Hurricane | 1979-09-13 |
| 3075 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | EM | Flood | 1979-03-24 |
| 479 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-08-22 |
| 289 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-07-03 |
Storm Events in Florida
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Santa Rosa County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,243 | 17 | 45 | $24.8M |
| Hail | 1,012 | 0 | 0 | $564.6K |
| Heavy Rain | 865 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 826 | 9 | 0 | $2.0B |
| Tropical Storm | 767 | 92 | 6 | $4.9B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
10,438
Total Paid
$527.5M
Avg Per Claim
$50.5K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 89.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$101.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Hurricane Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Very Low
Drought Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Ice Storm 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: Hurricane
Hurricane exposure in the model bundles the three ways a tropical system does harm, which arrive on different timescales and are insured differently: wind, storm surge on the coast, and rainfall flooding that can reach far inland well after landfall.
For Santa Rosa County the two measures on this page point the same way: Hurricane is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively High), and Hurricane 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
Santa Rosa County's closest FEMA peer: Santa Barbara County, CA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Santa Rosa County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Santa Rosa County shows 43 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Santa Rosa County: 27 of 43 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Santa Rosa County: NRI composite 89.0 (Relatively Moderate).
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 Santa Rosa County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Santa Rosa 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: 89.0 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 43. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Santa Rosa County's NFIP claims file (10,438 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 Santa Rosa County?
The most common disaster type in Santa Rosa County is Hurricane, with 24 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (7), Flood (5), Tropical Storm (3).
How does Santa Rosa County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Florida average?
FEMA lists 43 declaration records for Santa Rosa County. That is 7% above the Florida county mean of 40.4. Its count is also 108% 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 Santa Rosa County received?
Santa Rosa County has received 27 major disaster declarations, representing 63% of all 43 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Santa Rosa County filed?
Santa Rosa County has 10,438 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $527.5M in payments, with an average of $50.5K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Santa Rosa County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Santa Rosa County was 2020, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1970 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Santa Rosa County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Santa Rosa County, Florida has an overall risk score of 89.0 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Very Low; on community resilience, Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $101.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Santa Rosa County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Santa Rosa County as of the latest release is Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Lightning (Relatively High) and Tornado (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts hurricane here at roughly once every 4 years, drawn from 94 historical events on record. FEMA derives these ratings from historical event frequency, the assets exposed, and the community's vulnerability profile.
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 Santa Rosa County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Florida profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events