FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Nebraska · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Thomas County, NE
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2024–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 0
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Thomas County in the top 100% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Thomas County compare?
- Thomas County
- 1
- Nebraska county avg
- 2.2
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Thomas County?
Thomas County, Nebraska has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2024 and 2024, 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 54% below the Nebraska county average of 2.2 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. This county sits at the very bottom of FEMA's National Risk Index nationally, a composite score of 0.2/100 (rated Very Low). Projected losses are minimal, Expected Annual Loss reads Very Low (roughly $0.7M in annualized losses), and the county's exposure is shaped by a Very Low social-vulnerability profile and Relatively High community resilience. Even the county's top-rated hazard, Wildfire, only reaches Very Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here.
Taken together, Thomas 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. Nebraska Avg
-54%
State avg: 2.2
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Thomas County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Thomas 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
31171
NE state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Severe 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 - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4822 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-09-24 |
Storm Events in Nebraska
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 6,520 | 0 | 2 | $243.7M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,107 | 4 | 27 | $271.2M |
| High Wind | 1,965 | 1 | 1 | $22.2M |
| Drought | 1,850 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Weather | 1,274 | 7 | 4 | $385.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 0.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$0.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Very Low
Drought Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Lightning 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 Nebraska
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Thomas County, Nebraska had?
Thomas County, Nebraska has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2024 to 2024. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Thomas County?
The most common disaster type in Thomas County is Severe Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Thomas County's disaster risk compare to the Nebraska average?
Thomas County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 54% lower than the Nebraska county average of 2.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Thomas County received?
Thomas 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 Nebraska?
The most common storm types in Nebraska include Hail (6,520 events), Thunderstorm Wind (5,107 events), High Wind (1,965 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Thomas County?
Thomas 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.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Thomas County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Thomas County, Nebraska has an overall risk score of 0.2 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $0.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Thomas County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Thomas County is Wildfire (risk rating: Very Low). Other significant hazards include Drought (Relatively Low) and Hail (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 Thomas County
Thomas County, NE has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 54% below the Nebraska county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Nebraska 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.
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 report a data error.