FEMA Records
2
Total declarations
New Jersey · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Union County, NJ
2 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2021), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 2
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 95
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Union County in the top 5% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 22% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Union County compare?
- Union County
- 2
- New Jersey county avg
- 2.9
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Union County?
Union County, New Jersey has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2021, 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 30% below the New Jersey county average of 2.9 and 47% below the national county average of 3.7.
The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 2 of 2 declarations falling under this category. This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 95.5/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $163.1M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Strong Wind stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Taken together, Union County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Low
vs. New Jersey Avg
-30%
State avg: 2.9
vs. National Avg
-47%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Union County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Union 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
34039
NJ state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 2
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
Emergency - 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4614 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR | Hurricane | 2021-09-05 |
| 3573 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM | Hurricane | 2021-09-02 |
Storm Events in New Jersey
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,061 | 8 | 31 | $34.1M |
| Winter Weather | 1,289 | 8 | 114 | $0 |
| Flash Flood | 1,033 | 34 | 7 | $227.1M |
| Coastal Flood | 403 | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Winter Storm | 390 | 11 | 8 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 95.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$163.1M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Very High
Winter Weather Very High
Lightning Very High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Very High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Drought Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Hail Very Low
Wildfire 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 New Jersey
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Union County, New Jersey had?
Union County, New Jersey has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2021. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Union County?
The most common disaster type in Union County is Hurricane, with 2 declarations.
How does Union County's disaster risk compare to the New Jersey average?
Union County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 30% lower than the New Jersey county average of 2.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 47% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Union County received?
Union County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 50% of all 2 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in New Jersey?
The most common storm types in New Jersey include Thunderstorm Wind (3,061 events), Winter Weather (1,289 events), Flash Flood (1,033 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Union County?
Union County's 2 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Union County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Union County, New Jersey has an overall risk score of 95.5 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $163.1M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Union County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Union County is Strong Wind (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Very High) and Lightning (Very High). 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 Union County
Union County, NJ has 2 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 30% below the New Jersey county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 2) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. New Jersey 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.