FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
American Samoa · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent), AS
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2020). Most common hazard: Biological.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- Biological
- Top hazard
How does Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County compare?
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
1 0th percentile higher than 0% 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
How disaster-prone is Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County?
Declaration frequency
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County, American Samoa has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2020, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 0% above the American Samoa county average of 1.0 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Biological, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. American Samoa Avg
+0%
State avg: 1.0
vs. National Avg
-74%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) 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
60040
AS state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Biological 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4537 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-17 |
Storm Events in American Samoa
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 117 | 2 | 6 | $17.6M |
| Heavy Rain | 85 | 0 | 0 | $2.5M |
| High Wind | 47 | 0 | 0 | $2.2M |
| High Surf | 46 | 12 | 4 | $315.0K |
| Strong Wind | 40 | 0 | 0 | $181.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
Counties with Similar Risk in American Samoa
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County, American Samoa had?
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County, American Samoa has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2020. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County?
The most common disaster type in Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County is Biological, with 1 declaration.
How does Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County's disaster risk compare to the American Samoa average?
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 0% higher than the American Samoa county average of 1.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County received?
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in American Samoa?
The most common storm types in American Samoa include Flash Flood (117 events), Heavy Rain (85 events), High Wind (47 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County?
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
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 Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent)
Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent), AS runs 0% above the American Samoa county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 1), a very low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. American Samoa 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.