FEMA Records
9
Total declarations
Kentucky · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Spencer County, KY
9 FEMA disaster declarations (2022–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 9
- FEMA declarations
- 5
- Major disasters
- 13
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Spencer County ranks safer than 13% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 92% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Very Low, based on 9 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2022, most often severe storm, 134% 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
- 9
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 6
- 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 Spencer County compare?
Spencer County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
9 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Spencer County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Kentucky county average
How disaster-prone is Spencer County?
Declaration frequency
Spencer County, Kentucky has recorded 9 FEMA disaster declarations between 2022 and 2026, of which 5 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 2.3 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 12% above the Kentucky county average of 8.0 and 134% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 6 of 9 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 13.3/100 (Very Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $9.3M in annualized losses). Two modifiers shape how that exposure becomes real-world harm here: social vulnerability (Very Low) and community resilience (Very High). Even the county's top-rated hazard, Tornado, only reaches Relatively Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators put Spencer 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. Kentucky Avg
+12%
State avg: 8.0
vs. National Avg
+134%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
2.3
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Spencer County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Spencer 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
21215
KY state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 6
Tornado 2
Winter Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 5 55.6%
of all 9 declarations
Emergency - 4 44.4%
of all 9 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3633 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 4875 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-05-23 |
| 4864 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-04-24 |
| 3626 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-04-03 |
| 4860 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-02-24 |
| 3624 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-02-16 |
| 4702 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-10 |
| 4630 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 2021-12-12 |
| 3575 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | EM | Tornado | 2021-12-11 |
Storm Events in Kentucky
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,073 | 10 | 60 | $63.7M |
| Flash Flood | 2,127 | 113 | 16 | $45.1M |
| Flood | 1,906 | 37 | 8 | $42.2M |
| Hail | 1,898 | 1 | 0 | $7.2M |
| Winter Weather | 1,331 | 16 | 85 | $1.0M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 13.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$9.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Tornado Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Drought Very Low
Hail Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
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 Kentucky
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Spencer County, Kentucky had?
Spencer County, Kentucky has received 9 FEMA disaster declarations from 2022 to 2026. Of these, 5 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Spencer County?
The most common disaster type in Spencer County is Severe Storm, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Tornado (2), Winter Storm (1).
How does Spencer County's disaster risk compare to the Kentucky average?
Spencer County has 9 disaster declarations, which is 12% higher than the Kentucky county average of 8.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 134% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Spencer County received?
Spencer County has received 5 major disaster declarations, representing 56% of all 9 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Kentucky?
The most common storm types in Kentucky include Thunderstorm Wind (8,073 events), Flash Flood (2,127 events), Flood (1,906 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Spencer County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Spencer County was 2025, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2022 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Spencer County?
With 9 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Spencer County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Spencer County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Spencer County, Kentucky has an overall risk score of 13.3 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $9.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Spencer County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Spencer County is Tornado (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Strong Wind (Relatively Low) and Landslide (Very Low). 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 Spencer County
Spencer County, KY runs 12% above the Kentucky county average for federal disaster declarations (9 vs 8), a moderate historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (5 of 9) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Kentucky 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.