FEMA Records
19
Below median
New York · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
St. Lawrence County, NY
19 FEMA disaster declarations (1991-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Snowstorm.
- 19
- FEMA declarations
- 11
- Major disasters
- 78
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Snowstorm
- Top hazard
The verdict
St. Lawrence County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 19 declarations, more than 41% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 23% below the New York county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 22%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 22%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 19
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 95
- 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 36089 · St. Lawrence County 19 declarations · rank 1815/3,266
DECL-MID · MAJOR-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-MID 19
- MAJOR-MID 58%
- RANK-LOWER #1,815
- PHOTO-FINISH Bartow
- NRI-LOW 78
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Snowstorm
- VS-ST-BELOW -23%
Nearest declaration peer: Bartow, GA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · New York state profile
St. Lawrence County in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among St. Lawrence County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Bartow · near 19
Bartow · near
19 declarations
- St. Lawrence · this county 19
St. Lawrence · this county
19 declarations
- Union · near 19
Union · near
19 declarations
- Warren · near 19
Warren · near
19 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows St. Lawrence County carries 19 FEMA declaration records, ranked 1815 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How St. Lawrence County's FEMA declaration count compares nationally
St. Lawrence County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · St. Lawrence County
19 41st percentile higher than 41% 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
St. Lawrence County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for St. Lawrence County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $21.7M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Cold Wave carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate). 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 St. Lawrence County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 95 paid claims, totaling $1.7M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $17.6K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a New York county averages 24.5 federal declaration records, while St. Lawrence County has 19. The gap is 23% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 77.9/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $31.9M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Cold Wave carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 4.6 times per year here, based on 87 historical events on record.
58 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
St. Lawrence County, NY · 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
14/30
19 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.9x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
10/25
19 declarations (0.8x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share High
14/25
11 of 19 declarations are major disasters (58%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
9 different disaster types declared in St. Lawrence County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - St. Lawrence 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
58%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
78
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike St. Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 4.6 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 20 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 272 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 24 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 2.1 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | roughly once every 104 years |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 1.3 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 61,268 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 3 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Snowstorm 6
Flood 3
Biological 2
Hurricane 2
Other 2
Tropical Storm 1
Winter Storm 1
Severe Storm 1
Fire 1
What Snowstorm declarations mean here
Snowstorm is the most frequent declaration type on St. Lawrence County's record, 32% of its declarations. Snow-related declarations work on a narrower basis than most other hazards: they are generally issued to reimburse the cost of snow removal and emergency protective measures, rather than to repair destroyed property.
The qualifying test is unusual too. FEMA assesses snowfall against record levels for the affected area, so the same storm total can qualify in a county where it is historically extreme and not qualify a few hundred miles north where it is an ordinary winter. A low snowstorm declaration count is therefore not evidence of mild winters.
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 - 11 57.9%
of all 19 declarations
Emergency - 8 42.1%
of all 19 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 19 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 19 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4825 | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 4814 | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-08-29 |
| 4694 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2023-03-15 |
| 3589 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2022-11-20 |
| 4480 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-20 |
| 3434 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4348 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2017-11-14 |
| 4204 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Snowstorm | 2014-12-22 |
| 3351 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 3262 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-30 |
| 1534 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-08-03 |
| 3186 | POWER OUTAGE | EM | Other | 2003-08-23 |
| 1391 | FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS | DR | Fire | 2001-09-11 |
| 3155 | WEST NILE VIRUS | EM | Other | 2000-10-11 |
| 3136 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 1999-01-15 |
| 1196 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Snowstorm | 1998-01-06 |
| 1095 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-01-24 |
| 3107 | SEVERE BLIZZARD | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-17 |
| 898 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Snowstorm | 1991-03-21 |
Storm Events in New York
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to St. Lawrence County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,295 | 6 | 45 | $45.0M |
| Winter Weather | 2,261 | 7 | 17 | $705.5K |
| Flash Flood | 1,775 | 23 | 3 | $674.3M |
| Strong Wind | 1,399 | 2 | 12 | $9.2M |
| Winter Storm | 1,228 | 13 | 2 | $4.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
95
Total Paid
$1.7M
Avg Per Claim
$17.6K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 77.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$31.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Hurricane Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Hail Very Low
Drought No Rating
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: Cold Wave
Cold Wave measures exposure to extreme cold rather than to snow. Its harm is concentrated in health effects, burst infrastructure and energy demand spikes, and it falls hardest where the building stock and the grid were not built with sustained cold in mind.
For St. Lawrence County the two measures on this page point the same way: Cold Wave is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively Moderate), and Snowstorm 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
St. Lawrence County's closest FEMA peer: Klamath County, OR
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for St. Lawrence County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Similar modeled NRI score
St. Lawrence County: NRI composite 77.9 (Relatively Low).
Similar Major-disaster share
St. Lawrence County: 11 of 19 of its declarations are Major.
Closest declaration profiles
St. Lawrence County shows 19 FEMA declarations, led by Snowstorm.
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 St. Lawrence County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for St. Lawrence 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: 77.9 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 19. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
St. Lawrence County's NFIP claims file (95 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 St. Lawrence County?
The most common disaster type in St. Lawrence County is Snowstorm, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (3), Biological (2), Hurricane (2).
How does St. Lawrence County's FEMA declaration record compare with the New York average?
The typical New York county has 24.5 FEMA declaration records; St. Lawrence County has 19, or 23% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 8% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has St. Lawrence County received?
St. Lawrence County has received 11 major disaster declarations, representing 58% of all 19 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has St. Lawrence County filed?
St. Lawrence County has 95 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.7M in payments, with an average of $17.6K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in St. Lawrence County?
No. In St. Lawrence County, Cold Wave has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $21.7M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in St. Lawrence County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in St. Lawrence County was 2001, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1991 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for St. Lawrence County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, St. Lawrence County, New York has an overall risk score of 77.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively High, while community resilience comes in at Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $31.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to St. Lawrence County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for St. Lawrence County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Ice Storm (Relatively High) and Winter Weather (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 4.6 times per year, drawn from 87 historical events on record. 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 St. Lawrence County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · New York profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events