FEMA Records
37
Very high volume
Texas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Travis County, TX
37 FEMA disaster declarations (1992-2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 37
- FEMA declarations
- 19
- Major disasters
- 98
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Travis County. Its 37 FEMA declarations are 77% above the Texas 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 2%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 2%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 37
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 4,415
- 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.
How does Travis County compare?
Travis County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
37 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
Travis County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Texas county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Travis County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $214.2M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Tornado 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 Travis County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 4,415 claims and $114.8M 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 $26.0K. 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. Travis County's 37 federal records stand 77% above the Texas county mean of 20.9. 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 97.7/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $376.3M 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, Tornado stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 2 years here, based on 36 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 37 entries for Travis County, including 19 Major Disaster records, 77% above the Texas county mean. Across the 33-year span, that works out to 1.1 declarations a year. Fire leads the file with 11 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
82 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Travis County, TX · 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
27/30
37 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.8x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
22/25
37 declarations (1.8x state county average of 21)
Major Disaster Share High
13/25
19 of 37 declarations are major disasters (51%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Travis County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Texas Avg
+77%
State avg: 20.9
vs. National Avg
+79%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
1.1
Over 33 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Travis 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
51%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
98
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Travis 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Very High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Hail | Very High | an average of 3.9 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 10 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 5.5 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | an average of 1.6 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 49 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1,115 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.8 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | roughly once every 3 years |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | roughly once every 29 years |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 2,370 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 60 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
Fire 11
Hurricane 8
Flood 7
Severe Storm 5
Severe Ice Storm 2
Biological 2
Winter Storm 1
Drought 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Travis County's record, 30% of its declarations. Wildfire is the one hazard here with its own dedicated federal instrument: the Fire Management Assistance Grant, which appears in this data as an FM record. An FMAG can be authorised while a fire is still burning, on a timescale of hours, because its purpose is to reimburse the cost of fighting a fire that threatens to become a major disaster.
That distinction matters when comparing counties. An FM declaration is not a presidential major disaster declaration and does not carry the same assistance programmes, so a fire-heavy county's total is not directly comparable with a hurricane-heavy county's total unless the declaration types are separated, which is why they are listed separately on this page.
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 - 19 51.4%
of all 37 declarations
Emergency - 12 32.4%
of all 37 declarations
Fire Management - 6 16.2%
of all 37 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 6 | |
| 2008 | 3 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
Show 6 earlier declaration years
| 1999 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 37 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 37 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4879 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2025-07-06 |
| 4705 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Winter Storm | 2023-04-21 |
| 4586 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-19 |
| 3554 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-14 |
| 3540 | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-24 |
| 4485 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3458 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4416 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2019-02-25 |
| 4332 | HURRICANE HARVEY | DR | Hurricane | 2017-08-25 |
| 4272 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2016-06-11 |
| 4245 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-11-25 |
| 4223 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-05-29 |
| 4159 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-12-20 |
| 4029 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2011-09-09 |
| 2960 | STEINER RANCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-09-05 |
| 2959 | PEDERNALES BEND FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-09-05 |
| 2957 | HODDE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-09-04 |
| 2922 | GRAND MESA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-06-16 |
| 2898 | PINNACLE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-04-17 |
| 3294 | HURRICANE IKE | EM | Hurricane | 2008-09-10 |
Show 17 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3290 | HURRICANE GUSTAV | EM | Hurricane | 2008-08-29 |
| 3284 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2008-03-14 |
| 3277 | HURRICANE DEAN | EM | Hurricane | 2007-08-18 |
| 1709 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-06-29 |
| 2675 | MOORE ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-09-14 |
| 1624 | EXTREME WILDFIRE THREAT | DR | Fire | 2006-01-11 |
| 1606 | HURRICANE RITA | DR | Hurricane | 2005-09-24 |
| 3261 | HURRICANE RITA | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-21 |
| 3216 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-02 |
| 1425 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2002-07-04 |
| 3142 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARDS | EM | Fire | 1999-09-01 |
| 1257 | TX-FLOODING 10/18/98 | DR | Flood | 1998-10-21 |
| 1239 | TROPICAL STORM CHARLEY | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-08-26 |
| 1179 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1997-07-07 |
| 3117 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARD | EM | Fire | 1996-02-23 |
| 3113 | EXTREME FIRE HAZARD | EM | Drought | 1993-09-10 |
| 930 | SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS | DR | Flood | 1991-12-26 |
Storm Events in Texas
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Travis County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 14,072 | 0 | 15 | $7.4B |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 10,293 | 41 | 141 | $369.9M |
| Drought | 7,032 | 0 | 0 | $86.0K |
| Flash Flood | 4,728 | 338 | 24 | $47.6B |
| Heat | 4,079 | 119 | 405 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
4,415
Total Paid
$114.8M
Avg Per Claim
$26.0K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 97.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$376.3M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Tornado Very High
Hail Very High
Heat Wave Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Hurricane Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Drought Relatively 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: Tornado
Tornado exposure is the most spatially concentrated in the model: total destruction along a narrow corridor with intact property either side. County-level averages therefore understate severity badly for anyone actually in the path, and overstate it for everyone else.
Worth noting for Travis County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Tornado carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Fire. 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
Travis County's closest FEMA peer: Gilchrist County, FL
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Travis County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Travis County shows 37 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Travis County: 19 of 37 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Travis County: NRI composite 97.7 (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 Travis County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Travis County's NFIP claims file (4,415 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 Travis County?
The most common disaster type in Travis County is Fire, with 11 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (8), Flood (7), Severe Storm (5).
How does Travis County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Texas average?
FEMA lists 37 declaration records for Travis County. That is 77% above the Texas county mean of 20.9. Its count is also 79% 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 Travis County received?
Travis County has received 19 major disaster declarations, representing 51% of all 37 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Travis County filed?
Travis County has 4,415 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $114.8M in payments, with an average of $26.0K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Travis County?
No. In Travis County, Tornado has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $214.2M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Travis County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Travis County was 2011, with 6 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1992 to 2025.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Travis County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Travis County, Texas has an overall risk score of 97.7 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $376.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Travis County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Travis County is Tornado (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Hail (Very High) and Heat Wave (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts tornado here at roughly once every 2 years, drawn from 36 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 Travis County
Travis County, TX has 37 federal declaration records, 77% more than the Texas county mean of 21; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 19 of 37 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Texas overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Texas 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.