FEMA Records
30
High volume
Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Thurston County, WA
30 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 30
- FEMA declarations
- 26
- Major disasters
- 94
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Thurston County. Its 30 FEMA declarations are 21% above the Washington county mean and exceed the count for 86% 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 High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 30
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 387
- 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 53067 · Thurston County 30 declarations · rank 397/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-HEAVY · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 30
- MAJOR-HEAVY 87%
- RANK-MID #397
- PHOTO-FINISH Jefferson
- NRI-HIGH 94
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-ABOVE +21%
Nearest declaration peer: Jefferson, OK (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Washington state profile
Thurston County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Thurston County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Clallam · near 30
Clallam · near
30 declarations
- Jefferson · near 30
Jefferson · near
30 declarations
- Latimer · near 30
Latimer · near
30 declarations
- Thurston · this county 30
Thurston · this county
30 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Thurston County carries 30 FEMA declaration records, ranked 397 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Thurston County ranks in the national declaration registry
Thurston County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Thurston County
30 Top 14% higher than 86% 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
Thurston County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Thurston County is led by Earthquake (about $133.7M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Very High), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively 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 Thurston County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 387 paid claims, totaling $6.5M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $16.8K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Thurston County's 30 federal records stand 21% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. 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 94.5/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $190.6M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Landslide stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 5.1 times per year here.
77 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Thurston County, WA · 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) High
22/30
30 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
15/25
30 declarations (1.2x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share Very High
22/25
26 of 30 declarations are major disasters (87%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Thurston County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Thurston 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
87%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
94
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Thurston 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively High | an average of 5.1 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | roughly once every 33 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 88 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 7 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 4.3 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | an average of 3.1 times per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 14,441 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 6.1 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 6.7 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | roughly once every 75 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 26 years |
| Tsunami | Very Low | roughly once every 18 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 1.3 modeled event-days per year |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 67 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 27,463 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 14
Severe Storm 9
Biological 2
Earthquake 2
Fire 1
Coastal Storm 1
Volcanic Eruption 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Thurston County's record, 47% 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 - 26 86.7%
of all 30 declarations
Emergency - 3 10.0%
of all 30 declarations
Fire Management - 1 3.3%
of all 30 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 2 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
Show 6 earlier declaration years
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 2 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 30 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 30 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4906 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2026-04-07 |
| 3629 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2025-12-12 |
| 4650 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWSTORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2022-03-29 |
| 5359 | BORDEAUX ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-09-09 |
| 4539 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2020-04-23 |
| 4481 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3427 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4056 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-03-05 |
| 1825 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-03-02 |
| 1817 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2009-01-30 |
| 1734 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-12-08 |
| 1682 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-02-14 |
| 1671 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-12-12 |
| 3227 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 1499 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-11-07 |
| 1361 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2001-03-01 |
| 1172 | HEAVY RAINS, SNOW MELT, FLOODING, LAND & MUD SLIDES | DR | Flood | 1997-04-02 |
| 1159 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LAND & MUDS SLIDES,FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-17 |
| 1100 | HIGH WINDS, SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-09 |
| 1079 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WIND, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-01-03 |
Show 10 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 981 | SEVERE STORMS & HIGH WIND | DR | Severe Storm | 1993-03-04 |
| 883 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-11-26 |
| 852 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-01-18 |
| 623 | VOLCANIC ERUPTION, MT. ST. HELENS | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 1980-05-21 |
| 545 | SEVERE STORMS,MUDSLIDES, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1977-12-10 |
| 492 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-12-13 |
| 414 | SEVERE STORMS, SNOWMELT & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-01-25 |
| 328 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-03-24 |
| 322 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-02-01 |
| 196 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 1965-05-11 |
Storm Events in Washington
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Thurston County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,700 | 5 | 7 | $2.3M |
| High Wind | 614 | 15 | 6 | $1.1B |
| Wildfire | 299 | 4 | 4 | $1.8B |
| Winter Weather | 259 | 9 | 62 | $1.1M |
| Flood | 231 | 4 | 0 | $391.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
387
Total Paid
$6.5M
Avg Per Claim
$16.8K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 94.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$190.6M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively High
Volcanic Activity Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Tornado Very Low
Tsunami Very Low
Drought Very Low
Hail Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
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: Landslide
Landslide risk is a function of slope, soil and water, so it is usually a SECOND-ORDER hazard: it is triggered by the rainfall, snowmelt, wildfire burn scars or seismic shaking that came first. That is why a county can carry high landslide exposure whose realized damage is recorded under a flood or storm declaration instead.
Worth noting for Thurston County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively 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
Thurston County's closest FEMA peer: Essex County, VT
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Thurston County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Thurston County shows 30 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Thurston County: 26 of 30 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Thurston County: NRI composite 94.5 (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 Thurston County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Thurston 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: 94.5 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 30. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Thurston County's NFIP claims file (387 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 Thurston County?
The most common disaster type in Thurston County is Flood, with 14 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (9), Biological (2), Earthquake (2).
How does Thurston County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Washington average?
FEMA lists 30 declaration records for Thurston County. That is 21% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. Its count is also 45% 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 Thurston County received?
Thurston County has received 26 major disaster declarations, representing 87% of all 30 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Thurston County filed?
Thurston County has 387 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $6.5M in payments, with an average of $16.8K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Thurston County?
No. In Thurston County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Earthquake leads Expected Annual Loss at about $133.7M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Thurston County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Thurston County was 2020, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Thurston County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Thurston County, Washington has an overall risk score of 94.5 out of 100 (Relatively High). Social vulnerability here rates Very Low, while community resilience comes in at Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $190.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Thurston County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Thurston County is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively High) and Volcanic Activity (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at an average of 5.1 times per year. 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Thurston County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Washington profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events