FEMA Records
9
Low volume
Alaska · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Valdez-Cordova Census Area, AK
9 FEMA disaster declarations (1987-2020). Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 9
- FEMA declarations
- 8
- Major disasters
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 02261 · Valdez-Cordova Census Area 9 declarations · rank 3006/3,266
DECL-LIGHT · MAJOR-HEAVY · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-UNK · ACT-MODERATE · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-LIGHT 9
- MAJOR-HEAVY 89%
- RANK-LOWER #3,006
- PHOTO-FINISH Fulton
- NRI-UNK NRI n/a
- ACT-MODERATE Moderate
- TYPE-LEAD Severe Storm
- VS-ST-ABOVE +25%
Nearest declaration peer: Fulton, OH (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Alaska state profile
Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among this county and nearest peers
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Fulton · near 9
Fulton · near
9 declarations
- Gallatin · near 9
Gallatin · near
9 declarations
- Hillsdale · near 9
Hillsdale · near
9 declarations
- Valdez-Cordova · this county 9
Valdez-Cordova · this county
9 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Valdez-Cordova Census Area carries 9 FEMA declaration records, ranked 3006 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How does Valdez-Cordova Census Area compare?
Valdez-Cordova Census Area vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
9 8th percentile higher than 8% 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
What does Valdez-Cordova Census Area's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 8 claims and $68.0K paid in total. PlainHazard calls 1-49 claims a light registry record, a label for this dataset rather than a finding that flood exposure is low. A short claims history can also reflect insurance take-up, the period covered, or losses that were never insured.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Valdez-Cordova Census Area's 9 federal records stand 25% above the Alaska county mean of 7.2. 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.
58 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Valdez-Cordova Census Area, AK · 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) Low
7/30
9 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
16/25
9 declarations (1.2x state county average of 7)
Major Disaster Share Very High
22/25
8 of 9 declarations are major disasters (89%)
Hazard Diversity High
13/20
5 different disaster types declared in Valdez-Cordova Census Area
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Valdez-Cordova Census Area
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
89%
Mostly major
County FIPS
02261
AK state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 4
Biological 2
Earthquake 1
Freezing 1
Flood 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Valdez-Cordova Census Area's record, 44% 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 - 8 88.9%
of all 9 declarations
Emergency - 1 11.1%
of all 9 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
| 1987 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 9 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 9 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4533 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-09 |
| 3446 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4094 | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-11-27 |
| 1669 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-12-08 |
| 1663 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-10-16 |
| 1440 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2002-11-08 |
| 1316 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND AVALANCHES | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-02-17 |
| 826 | SEVERE FREEZING | DR | Freezing | 1989-05-10 |
| 782 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1986-10-27 |
Storm Events in Alaska
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Valdez-Cordova Census Area.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 709 | 0 | 1 | $8.4M |
| Blizzard | 524 | 0 | 0 | $60.0K |
| Heavy Snow | 439 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Storm | 385 | 0 | 0 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 182 | 0 | 0 | $81.9M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
8
Total Paid
$68.0K
Avg Per Claim
$8.5K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Data-matched county comparisons
Valdez-Cordova Census Area's closest FEMA peer: Washington County, IL
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields for Valdez-Cordova Census Area. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Valdez-Cordova Census Area shows 9 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Valdez-Cordova Census Area: 8 of 9 of its declarations are Major.
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 Valdez-Cordova Census Area - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Valdez-Cordova Census Area: 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 declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 9. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Use the data guide to read Valdez-Cordova Census Area's declaration register against state and national benchmarks without conflating it with modeled 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 Valdez-Cordova Census Area?
The most common disaster type in Valdez-Cordova Census Area is Severe Storm, with 4 declarations. Other disaster types include Biological (2), Earthquake (1), Freezing (1).
How does Valdez-Cordova Census Area's FEMA declaration record compare with the Alaska average?
FEMA lists 9 declaration records for Valdez-Cordova Census Area. That is 25% above the Alaska county mean of 7.2. Its count is also 57% below 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 Valdez-Cordova Census Area received?
Valdez-Cordova Census Area has received 8 major disaster declarations, representing 89% of all 9 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Valdez-Cordova Census Area filed?
Valdez-Cordova Census Area has 8 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $68.0K in payments, with an average of $8.5K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Valdez-Cordova Census Area?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Valdez-Cordova Census Area was 2007, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1987 to 2020.
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.
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 2026-08-25. 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
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.