FEMA Records
13
Low volume
New Mexico · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Sierra County, NM
13 FEMA disaster declarations (1972-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 13
- FEMA declarations
- 10
- Major disasters
- 56
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Sierra County. Its 13 FEMA declarations are 4% above the New Mexico county mean and exceed the count for 17% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 44%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 44%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 13
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 15
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Sierra County compare?
Sierra County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
13 17th percentile higher than 17% 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 · 2026-08-03
Sierra County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the New Mexico county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Sierra County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $9.1M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Wildfire carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Low). 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 Sierra County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 55.8/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Very Low (roughly $10.8M in annualized losses), and a Very High social-vulnerability profile combined with Very Low community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Even the county's top-rated hazard, Wildfire, only reaches Relatively Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 507 years here.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 13 entries for Sierra County, including 10 Major Disaster records, 4% above the New Mexico county mean. Across the 48-year span, that works out to 0.3 declarations a year. Severe Storm leads the file with 5 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 15 claims and $157.9K paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Sierra County's 13 federal records stand 4% above the New Mexico county mean of 12.5. 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.
54 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Sierra County, NM · 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) Moderate
9/30
13 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
13 declarations (1.0x state county average of 12)
Major Disaster Share Very High
19/25
10 of 13 declarations are major disasters (77%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in Sierra County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. New Mexico Avg
+4%
State avg: 12.5
vs. National Avg
-37%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.3
Over 48 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Sierra 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
77%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
56
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Sierra 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 | Relatively Low | roughly once every 507 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.9 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 75 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 60 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 5.2 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 544 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 2.3 modeled event-days per year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | roughly once every 12 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 112 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 10,000 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 11 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 24 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 5
Flood 3
Biological 2
Fire 2
Hurricane 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Sierra County's record, 38% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
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 - 10 76.9%
of all 13 declarations
Emergency - 3 23.1%
of all 13 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 2 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 13 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 13 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4529 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-05 |
| 3460 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4199 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-10-29 |
| 4152 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2013-10-29 |
| 4148 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-09-30 |
| 1962 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-03-24 |
| 1659 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-08-30 |
| 3229 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-07 |
| 1329 | SEVERE FOREST FIRE | DR | Fire | 2000-05-13 |
| 3154 | SEVERE FIRE THREATS | EM | Fire | 2000-05-10 |
| 1301 | SEVERE ICE STORMS, FLOODING AND HEAVY RAINS | DR | Severe Storm | 1999-09-22 |
| 571 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1979-01-29 |
| 353 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-09-20 |
Storm Events in New Mexico
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Sierra County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 3,382 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| High Wind | 2,351 | 0 | 3 | $18.9M |
| Hail | 1,669 | 1 | 24 | $17.2M |
| Heavy Snow | 986 | 6 | 72 | $2.5M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 952 | 1 | 13 | $25.1M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
15
Total Paid
$157.9K
Avg Per Claim
$10.5K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 55.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$10.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Hurricane Very Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind Very 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: 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.
Worth noting for Sierra County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Wildfire carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Low), while the county's declaration history is led by Severe Storm. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
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
Sierra County's closest FEMA peer: Watonwan County, MN
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Sierra County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Sierra County shows 13 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Sierra County: 10 of 13 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Sierra County: NRI composite 55.8 (Relatively Low).
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 Sierra County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 13 FEMA declarations, Sierra County sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.
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).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Sierra County?
The most common disaster type in Sierra County is Severe Storm, with 5 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (3), Biological (2), Fire (2).
How does Sierra County's FEMA declaration record compare with the New Mexico average?
FEMA lists 13 declaration records for Sierra County. That is 4% above the New Mexico county mean of 12.5. Its count is also 37% below 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 Sierra County received?
Sierra County has received 10 major disaster declarations, representing 77% of all 13 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Sierra County filed?
Sierra County has 15 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $157.9K in payments, with an average of $10.5K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Sierra County?
No. In Sierra County, Wildfire has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Low), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $9.1M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Sierra County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Sierra County was 2000, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1972 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Sierra County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Sierra County, New Mexico has an overall risk score of 55.8 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Very High, while community resilience comes in at Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $10.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Sierra County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Sierra County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Riverine Flooding (Relatively Moderate) and Drought (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 507 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.
What this means for Sierra County
Sierra County, NM has 13 federal declaration records, 4% more than the New Mexico county mean of 12; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 10 of 13 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. New Mexico overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the New Mexico mean and the totals for 17% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- A short NFIP claims file cannot establish low flood exposure; the data guide explains the limits of each federal measure. Disaster-data guide
An above-average declaration count records past federal responses; it does not predict the next event. Current warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. 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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.