FEMA Records
20
Above median
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Stanislaus County, CA
20 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 20
- FEMA declarations
- 14
- Major disasters
- 97
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Stanislaus County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 20 declarations, more than 46% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 30% below the California county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 3%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 3%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 20
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 242
- 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.
How does Stanislaus County compare?
Stanislaus County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
20 46th percentile higher than 46% 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
Stanislaus County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the California county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Stanislaus County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $94.2M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Drought carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). 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 Stanislaus County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 242 paid claims, totaling $4.7M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $19.3K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a California county averages 28.5 federal declaration records, while Stanislaus County has 20. The gap is 30% 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 96.9/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $264.9M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Drought stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at 74 modeled event-days per year here, based on 2,226 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
Nationally, Stanislaus County's 20 FEMA records form a high-volume history; within California, however, the count is 30% below the county mean. 14 entries carry the Major Disaster classification. The largest incident group is Flood, appearing 6 times. The full 58-year record averages 0.3 declarations annually. A DR label alone does not say whether Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both followed.
61 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Stanislaus County, CA · 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
20 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.0x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
9/25
20 declarations (0.7x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share High
18/25
14 of 20 declarations are major disasters (70%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Stanislaus County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. California Avg
-30%
State avg: 28.5
vs. National Avg
-3%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.3
Over 58 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Stanislaus 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
70%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
97
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Stanislaus 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Drought | Very High | 74 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | roughly once every 14 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 7.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 167 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 7 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 18 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 3,333 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 11 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | roughly once every 24 years |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 6 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 6
Severe Storm 5
Fire 2
Biological 2
Freezing 2
Hurricane 1
Coastal Storm 1
Drought 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Stanislaus County's record, 30% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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 - 14 70.0%
of all 20 declarations
Emergency - 5 25.0%
of all 20 declarations
Fire Management - 1 5.0%
of all 20 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1969 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 20 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 20 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 4558 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2020-08-22 |
| 5338 | SCU LIGTNING COMPLEX FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-08-21 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3428 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4308 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2017-04-01 |
| 1689 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 2007-03-13 |
| 1646 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-06-05 |
| 3248 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1203 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-02-09 |
| 1155 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUD AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-04 |
| 1046 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOW | DR | Severe Storm | 1995-03-12 |
| 894 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 1991-02-11 |
| 677 | COASTAL STORMS, FLOODS, SLIDES & TORNADOES | DR | Coastal Storm | 1983-02-09 |
| 3023 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-01-20 |
| 253 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1969-01-26 |
| 183 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1964-12-24 |
Storm Events in California
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Stanislaus County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,070 | 13 | 27 | $228.2M |
| Flood | 3,132 | 26 | 25 | $985.1M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,814 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Dense Fog | 1,605 | 52 | 148 | $2.8M |
| Drought | 1,421 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
242
Total Paid
$4.7M
Avg Per Claim
$19.3K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 96.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$264.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Drought Very High
Earthquake Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Cold Wave 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: Drought
Drought is the slowest of the modeled hazards and the least visible: it does its damage to agriculture, water supply and soil over seasons rather than hours, so it rarely produces the kind of single-day damage that drives a disaster declaration. FEMA scores it in event-days per year rather than discrete events for exactly that reason.
Worth noting for Stanislaus County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Drought carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. 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
Stanislaus County's closest FEMA peer: Worth County, MO
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Stanislaus County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Stanislaus County shows 20 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Stanislaus County: 14 of 20 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Stanislaus County: NRI composite 96.9 (Relatively High).
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 Stanislaus County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Stanislaus County's NFIP claims file (242 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).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Stanislaus County?
The most common disaster type in Stanislaus County is Flood, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (5), Fire (2), Biological (2).
How does Stanislaus County's FEMA declaration record compare with the California average?
The typical California county has 28.5 FEMA declaration records; Stanislaus County has 20, or 30% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 3% lower. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Stanislaus County received?
Stanislaus County has received 14 major disaster declarations, representing 70% of all 20 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Stanislaus County filed?
Stanislaus County has 242 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $4.7M in payments, with an average of $19.3K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Stanislaus County?
No. In Stanislaus County, Drought has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $94.2M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Stanislaus County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Stanislaus County was 2020, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2023.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Stanislaus County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Stanislaus County, California has an overall risk score of 96.9 out of 100 (Relatively High). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Low, while community resilience comes in at Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $264.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Stanislaus County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Stanislaus County as of the latest release is Drought (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively High) and Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts drought here at 74 modeled event-days per year, drawn from 2,226 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.
What this means for Stanislaus County
Against a California county mean of 29 declarations, Stanislaus County, CA records 20, or 30% fewer. PlainHazard classifies that historical total as high activity.
- Major Disaster is the largest group (14 of 20) in a declaration history that remains below its state benchmark; frequency here is not a forecast. California overview
- Nationally the county exceeds 46% of recorded county totals, but its own California benchmark is higher. The ranking keeps those two contexts separate. Most-disaster rankings
- Use the data guide to separate this mid-volume insurance-claims file from declaration counts and modeled NRI risk. Disaster-data guide
A below-average federal record is not a safety guarantee. Use National Weather Service alerts and local emergency-management notices for present conditions, not this historical comparison.
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.