FEMA Records
37
Very high volume
New York · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Ulster County, NY
37 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2021), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 37
- FEMA declarations
- 25
- Major disasters
- 88
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Ulster County. Its 37 FEMA declarations are 51% above the New York 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 12%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 12%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 37
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 1,276
- 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 36111 · Ulster County 37 declarations · rank 171/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-HIGH
- DECL-HEAVY 37
- MAJOR-MID 68%
- RANK-UPPER #171
- PHOTO-FINISH Washita
- NRI-MID 88
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Severe Storm
- VS-ST-HIGH +51%
Nearest declaration peer: Washita, OK (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · New York state profile
Ulster County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Ulster County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Grant · near
Grant · near
37 declarations
- Marion · near
Marion · near
37 declarations
- Ulster · this county
Ulster · this county
37 declarations
- Washita · near
Washita · near
37 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Ulster County carries 37 FEMA declaration records, ranked 171 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Ulster County ranks in the national declaration registry
Ulster County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Ulster County
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 · 2026-08-25
Ulster County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Ulster County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $45.5M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate). 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 Ulster County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 1,276 claims and $30.2M 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 $23.7K. 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. Ulster County's 37 federal records stand 51% above the New York county mean of 24.5. 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 87.7/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $67.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Landslide carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 1.7 times per year here.
83 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Ulster 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) Very High
27/30
37 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.8x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
19/25
37 declarations (1.5x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share High
17/25
25 of 37 declarations are major disasters (68%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Ulster County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Ulster 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
68%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
88
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Ulster 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 Moderate | an average of 1.7 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.6 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | an average of 2.9 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 3 years |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 18 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 29 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.7 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.5 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 745 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 17 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.4 modeled event-days per year |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | an average of 3.8 times per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 3,436 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 0.6 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
Severe Storm 10
Hurricane 9
Flood 7
Snowstorm 5
Biological 2
Other 2
Fire 1
Drought 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Ulster County's record, 27% 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 - 25 67.6%
of all 37 declarations
Emergency - 12 32.4%
of all 37 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 4 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 4 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 3 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 2 | |
Show 7 earlier declaration years
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1987 | 1 | |
| 1984 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 1 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4615 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR | Hurricane | 2021-09-05 |
| 3572 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM | Hurricane | 2021-09-02 |
| 3565 | HURRICANE HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-22 |
| 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 |
| 4085 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-10-30 |
| 3351 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 4031 | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-09-13 |
| 4020 | HURRICANE IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-08-31 |
| 3328 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-26 |
| 1993 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Flood | 2011-06-10 |
| 3299 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-12-18 |
| 1710 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-07-02 |
| 1692 | SEVERE STORMS AND INLAND AND COASTAL FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-04-24 |
| 1650 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-07-01 |
| 3262 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-30 |
| 1589 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-04-19 |
| 1565 | TROPICAL DEPRESSION IVAN | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-10-01 |
| 1564 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-10-01 |
Show 17 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1534 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-08-03 |
| 3186 | POWER OUTAGE | EM | Other | 2003-08-23 |
| 3184 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-27 |
| 3173 | SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-02-25 |
| 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 |
| 1296 | HURRICANE FLOYD MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATIONS | DR | Hurricane | 1999-09-19 |
| 1095 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-01-24 |
| 1083 | BLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM) | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-12 |
| 3107 | SEVERE BLIZZARD | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-17 |
| 792 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1987-05-15 |
| 702 | COASTAL STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1984-04-17 |
| 401 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-07-20 |
| 338 | TROPICAL STORM AGNES | DR | Flood | 1972-06-23 |
| 311 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1971-09-13 |
| 204 | WATER SHORTAGE | DR | Drought | 1965-08-18 |
Storm Events in New York
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Ulster 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
1,276
Total Paid
$30.2M
Avg Per Claim
$23.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 87.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$67.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Wildfire 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: 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 Ulster County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide 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
Ulster County's closest FEMA peer: Marion County, MS
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Ulster County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Ulster County shows 37 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Ulster County: 25 of 37 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Ulster County: NRI composite 87.7 (Relatively Moderate).
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 Ulster County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Ulster 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: 87.7 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 37. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Ulster County's NFIP claims file (1,276 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 Ulster County?
The most common disaster type in Ulster County is Severe Storm, with 10 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (9), Flood (7), Snowstorm (5).
How does Ulster County's FEMA declaration record compare with the New York average?
FEMA lists 37 declaration records for Ulster County. That is 51% above the New York county mean of 24.5. 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 Ulster County received?
Ulster County has received 25 major disaster declarations, representing 68% of all 37 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Ulster County filed?
Ulster County has 1,276 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $30.2M in payments, with an average of $23.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Ulster County?
No. In Ulster County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $45.5M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Ulster County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Ulster County was 2005, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2021.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Ulster County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Ulster County, New York has an overall risk score of 87.7 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Moderate, while community resilience comes in at Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $67.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Ulster County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Ulster County is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Riverine Flooding (Relatively Moderate) and Strong Wind (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at an average of 1.7 times per year. 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 Ulster County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · New York profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events