FEMA Records
20
Above median
New York · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Tompkins County, NY
20 FEMA disaster declarations (1970-2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 20
- FEMA declarations
- 14
- Major disasters
- 74
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Tompkins 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 18% below the New York county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 26%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 26%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 20
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 290
- 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 36109 · Tompkins County 20 declarations · rank 1655/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-HEAVY 20
- MAJOR-MID 70%
- RANK-LOWER #1,655
- PHOTO-FINISH Monona
- NRI-LOW 74
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Severe Storm
- VS-ST-BELOW -18%
Nearest declaration peer: Monona, IA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · New York state profile
Tompkins County in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among Tompkins County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Cleveland · near 20
Cleveland · near
20 declarations
- Monona · near 20
Monona · near
20 declarations
- Tallapoosa · near 20
Tallapoosa · near
20 declarations
- Tompkins · this county 20
Tompkins · this county
20 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Tompkins County carries 20 FEMA declaration records, ranked 1655 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How Tompkins County's FEMA declaration count compares nationally
Tompkins County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Tompkins County
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 · 2026-08-25
Tompkins County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Tompkins County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 290 paid claims, totaling $1.9M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $6.5K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a New York county averages 24.5 federal declaration records, while Tompkins County has 20. The gap is 18% 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 carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 73.9/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $34.8M in annualized losses), and a Relatively Low social-vulnerability profile combined with Very High community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Riverine Flooding carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 1 years here, based on 25 historical events on record.
60 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Tompkins County, NY · 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
10/25
20 declarations (0.8x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share High
18/25
14 of 20 declarations are major disasters (70%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Tompkins County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Tompkins 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
74
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Tompkins 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | roughly once every 43 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 2.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 30 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 4 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 2.5 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 1,988 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | an average of 3.4 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 17 times per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 48,628 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 6
Flood 5
Biological 2
Snowstorm 2
Hurricane 2
Other 2
Fire 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Tompkins County's record, 30% of its declarations. In FEMA's vocabulary this covers convective weather: thunderstorm straight-line winds, large hail, and the multi-day outbreaks that often carry embedded tornadoes. Activity is heaviest in spring and summer, though the season varies by region.
These events behave differently from a hurricane on paper. Damage tends to be distributed along a storm track rather than concentrated on a coastline, and a declaration typically follows an outbreak that crossed several counties over a few days, not a single point of impact. Because the qualifying threshold is the cost of uninsured public and individual losses rather than storm intensity, two similar storms can produce a declaration in one year and none in another.
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 - 6 30.0%
of all 20 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 2 | |
Show 2 earlier declaration years
| 1972 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4480 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-20 |
| 3434 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4322 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2017-07-12 |
| 3351 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 4031 | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-09-13 |
| 1650 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-07-01 |
| 3262 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-30 |
| 1534 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-08-03 |
| 3186 | POWER OUTAGE | EM | Other | 2003-08-23 |
| 1391 | FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS | DR | Fire | 2001-09-11 |
| 3155 | WEST NILE VIRUS | EM | Other | 2000-10-11 |
| 1335 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-07-21 |
| 1233 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-07-07 |
| 1148 | SEVERE STORMS HIGH WINDS, RAIN AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-12-09 |
| 1095 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-01-24 |
| 3107 | SEVERE BLIZZARD | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-17 |
| 515 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1976-07-21 |
| 487 | STORMS, RAINS, LANDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-10-02 |
| 338 | TROPICAL STORM AGNES | DR | Flood | 1972-06-23 |
| 290 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-07-22 |
Storm Events in New York
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Tompkins County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,295 | 6 | 45 | $45.0M |
| Winter Weather | 2,261 | 7 | 17 | $705.5K |
| Flash Flood | 1,775 | 23 | 3 | $674.3M |
| Strong Wind | 1,399 | 2 | 12 | $9.2M |
| Winter Storm | 1,228 | 13 | 2 | $4.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
290
Total Paid
$1.9M
Avg Per Claim
$6.5K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 73.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$34.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Wildfire 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: Riverine Flooding
Riverine Flooding is the model's measure of a watershed draining more water than its channel can carry. Unlike flash flooding it usually builds over days and is forecast in advance, which makes it the hazard where warning time most reliably converts into reduced harm.
Worth noting for Tompkins County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Riverine Flooding carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Moderate), while the county's declaration history is led by Severe Storm. 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
Tompkins County's closest FEMA peer: Stanislaus County, CA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Tompkins County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Tompkins County shows 20 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Tompkins County: 14 of 20 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Tompkins County: NRI composite 73.9 (Relatively Low).
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 Tompkins County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Tompkins 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: 73.9 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 20. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Tompkins County's NFIP claims file (290 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 Tompkins County?
The most common disaster type in Tompkins County is Severe Storm, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (5), Biological (2), Snowstorm (2).
How does Tompkins County's FEMA declaration record compare with the New York average?
The typical New York county has 24.5 FEMA declaration records; Tompkins County has 20, or 18% 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 Tompkins County received?
Tompkins County has received 14 major disaster declarations, representing 70% of all 20 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Tompkins County filed?
Tompkins County has 290 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.9M in payments, with an average of $6.5K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Tompkins County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Tompkins County was 1976, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1970 to 2020.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Tompkins County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Tompkins County, New York has an overall risk score of 73.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $34.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Tompkins County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Tompkins County is Riverine Flooding (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Low) and Drought (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts riverine flooding here at roughly once every 1 years, drawn from 25 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Tompkins County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · New York profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events