FEMA Records
38
Very high volume
Massachusetts · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Suffolk County, MA
38 FEMA disaster declarations (1972-2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Snowstorm.
- 38
- FEMA declarations
- 23
- Major disasters
- 94
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Snowstorm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Suffolk County. Its 38 FEMA declarations are 32% above the Massachusetts county mean and exceed the count for 95% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 6%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 6%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 38
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 4,368
- 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 Suffolk County compare?
Suffolk County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
38 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Suffolk County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Massachusetts county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Suffolk County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $59.5M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Very Low), while Lightning 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 Suffolk County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 4,368 claims and $29.0M 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 $6.6K. 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. Suffolk County's 38 federal records stand 32% above the Massachusetts county mean of 28.8. 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 93.5/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $114.9M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Lightning stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 20 times per year here, based on 168,717 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 38 entries for Suffolk County, including 23 Major Disaster records, 32% above the Massachusetts county mean. Across the 51-year span, that works out to 0.7 declarations a year. Snowstorm leads the file with 9 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
80 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Suffolk County, MA · 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
28/30
38 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.8x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
17/25
38 declarations (1.3x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share High
15/25
23 of 38 declarations are major disasters (61%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
10 different disaster types declared in Suffolk County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Massachusetts Avg
+32%
State avg: 28.8
vs. National Avg
+83%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.7
Over 51 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Suffolk 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
61%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
94
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Suffolk 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Very High | an average of 20 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 5.3 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 578 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 1.7 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 1.2 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | roughly once every 5 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 7.4 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1 time per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.6 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 54 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 12 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 56 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 44,028 years |
| Drought | No Rating | 6.7 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Snowstorm 9
Hurricane 8
Severe Storm 7
Flood 6
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 2
Terrorist 1
Other 1
Fire 1
Fishing Losses 1
What Snowstorm declarations mean here
Snowstorm is the most frequent declaration type on Suffolk County's record, 24% 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 - 23 60.5%
of all 38 declarations
Emergency - 15 39.5%
of all 38 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 4 | |
| 2011 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
Show 9 earlier declaration years
| 1997 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 2 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 2 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 38 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 38 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3599 | HURRICANE LEE | EM | Hurricane | 2023-09-15 |
| 4651 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2022-04-18 |
| 4496 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3438 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4379 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2018-07-19 |
| 4214 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-04-13 |
| 4110 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-04-19 |
| 3362 | EXPLOSIONS | EM | Terrorist | 2013-04-17 |
| 4097 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-12-19 |
| 3350 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 3330 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-26 |
| 1959 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2011-03-07 |
| 3315 | HURRICANE EARL | EM | Hurricane | 2010-09-02 |
| 3312 | WATER MAIN BREAK | EM | Other | 2010-05-03 |
| 1895 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-03-29 |
| 3296 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-12-13 |
| 1642 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-05-25 |
| 1614 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-11-10 |
| 3252 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 3201 | RECORD AND/OR NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
Show 18 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1512 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2004-04-21 |
| 3191 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2004-01-15 |
| 3175 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-11 |
| 1364 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-04-10 |
| 1224 | HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1998-06-23 |
| 1142 | EXTREME WEATHER CONDITONS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-10-25 |
| 3119 | EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS AND FLOODING | EM | Flood | 1996-10-23 |
| 1090 | BLIZZARD OF 96 | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-24 |
| 3103 | BLIZZARDS, HIGH WINDS & RECORD SNOWFALL | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
| 975 | WINTER COASTAL STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 1992-12-21 |
| 920 | COASTAL STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 1991-11-04 |
| 914 | HURRICANE BOB | DR | Hurricane | 1991-08-26 |
| 751 | HURRICANE GLORIA | DR | Hurricane | 1985-10-28 |
| 546 | COASTAL STORMS, FLOOD, ICE & SNOW | DR | Flood | 1978-02-10 |
| 3059 | BLIZZARD & SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1978-02-07 |
| 405 | FIRE (CITY OF CHELSEA) | DR | Fire | 1973-10-16 |
| 357 | TOXIC ALGAE IN COASTAL WATERS | DR | Fishing Losses | 1972-09-28 |
| 325 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-03-06 |
Storm Events in Massachusetts
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Suffolk County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,101 | 2 | 7 | $13.2M |
| Strong Wind | 1,019 | 4 | 8 | $3.2M |
| High Wind | 722 | 3 | 10 | $10.8M |
| Flood | 563 | 0 | 0 | $4.0M |
| Winter Weather | 390 | 1 | 14 | $1.4M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
4,368
Total Paid
$29.0M
Avg Per Claim
$6.6K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 93.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$114.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Very High
Heat Wave Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively High
Coastal Flooding Relatively High
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Wildfire 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: Lightning
Lightning is modeled as a high-frequency, low-per-event hazard: strike counts are large, but each strike affects a very small area. Its aggregate cost accumulates through structure fires, electrical and electronic damage, and it is one of the few hazards whose risk is essentially continuous through the season rather than episodic.
Worth noting for Suffolk County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Lightning carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Snowstorm. 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
Suffolk County's closest FEMA peer: St. Lucie County, FL
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Suffolk County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Suffolk County shows 38 FEMA declarations, led by Snowstorm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Suffolk County: 23 of 38 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Suffolk County: NRI composite 93.5 (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 Suffolk County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Suffolk County's NFIP claims file (4,368 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 Suffolk County?
The most common disaster type in Suffolk County is Snowstorm, with 9 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (8), Severe Storm (7), Flood (6).
How does Suffolk County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Massachusetts average?
FEMA lists 38 declaration records for Suffolk County. That is 32% above the Massachusetts county mean of 28.8. Its count is also 83% 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 Suffolk County received?
Suffolk County has received 23 major disaster declarations, representing 61% of all 38 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Suffolk County filed?
Suffolk County has 4,368 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $29.0M in payments, with an average of $6.6K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Suffolk County?
No. In Suffolk County, Lightning has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $59.5M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Suffolk County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Suffolk County was 2013, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1972 to 2023.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Suffolk County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Suffolk County, Massachusetts has an overall risk score of 93.5 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively High; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $114.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Suffolk County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Suffolk County as of the latest release is Lightning (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Heat Wave (Relatively High) and Earthquake (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts lightning here at an average of 20 times per year, drawn from 168,717 historical events on record. 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.
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 Suffolk County
Suffolk County, MA has 38 federal declaration records, 32% more than the Massachusetts county mean of 29; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 23 of 38 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Massachusetts overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Massachusetts mean and the totals for 95% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- The large NFIP claims file and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records; the guide explains where they overlap and where they do not. 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.