FEMA Records
25
High volume
Arkansas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Van Buren County, AR
25 FEMA disaster declarations (1977-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.
- 25
- FEMA declarations
- 18
- Major disasters
- 51
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Van Buren County. Its 25 FEMA declarations are 3% above the Arkansas county mean and exceed the count for 71% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 49%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 49%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 25
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 18
- 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.
How does Van Buren County compare?
Van Buren County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
25 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
Van Buren County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Arkansas county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Van Buren County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $3.8M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Ice Storm 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 Van Buren County's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 50.6/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Very Low (roughly $10.0M in annualized losses), and a Very High social-vulnerability profile combined with Very Low community resilience shapes how much of that raw exposure becomes realized harm. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Ice Storm stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 1.4 times per year here, based on 93 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 25 entries for Van Buren County, including 18 Major Disaster records, 3% above the Arkansas county mean. Across the 49-year span, that works out to 0.5 declarations a year. Severe Storm leads the file with 11 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
Reading the federal records together
This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 18 claims and $588.0K 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. Van Buren County's 25 federal records stand 3% above the Arkansas county mean of 24.2. 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.
69 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Van Buren County, AR · 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) High
18/30
25 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.2x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
25 declarations (1.0x state county average of 24)
Major Disaster Share High
18/25
18 of 25 declarations are major disasters (72%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Van Buren County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Arkansas Avg
+3%
State avg: 24.2
vs. National Avg
+21%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 49 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Van Buren 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
72%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
51
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Van Buren 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Very High | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 2 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 217 years |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 340 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 12 modeled event-days per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 7.1 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.2 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | an average of 60 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hurricane | Very Low | roughly once every 93 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Hail | Very Low | an average of 5.2 times per year |
| Drought | No Rating | 11 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Severe Storm 11
Severe Ice Storm 4
Hurricane 3
Biological 2
Flood 2
Winter Storm 1
Tornado 1
Drought 1
What Severe Storm declarations mean here
Severe Storm is the most frequent declaration type on Van Buren County'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 - 18 72.0%
of all 25 declarations
Emergency - 7 28.0%
of all 25 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 3 | |
| 2008 | 4 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 2 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
Show 2 earlier declaration years
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 25 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 25 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3636 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 3627 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2025-04-05 |
| 3541 | HURRICANE LAURA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-27 |
| 4518 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-03 |
| 3461 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4160 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2014-01-06 |
| 4124 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-06-25 |
| 1975 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND ASSOCIATED FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-05-02 |
| 1861 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-12-03 |
| 1819 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-02-06 |
| 3301 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2009-01-28 |
| 1804 | TROPICAL STORM IKE | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-10-22 |
| 1793 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE GUSTAV | DR | Hurricane | 2008-09-18 |
| 1758 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-05-20 |
| 1751 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-03-26 |
| 1744 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-02-07 |
| 3215 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-02 |
| 1472 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-06-06 |
| 1450 | SEVERE ICE STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2003-01-06 |
| 1354 | SEVERE WINTER ICE STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2000-12-29 |
Show 5 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1176 | FLOODING, SEVERE STORMS | DR | Flood | 1997-04-14 |
| 907 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1991-05-30 |
| 817 | SEVERE STORMS & TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1988-11-23 |
| 673 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1982-12-13 |
| 3019 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1976-12-03 |
Storm Events in Arkansas
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Van Buren County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,657 | 10 | 23 | $60.9M |
| Hail | 2,230 | 0 | 0 | $7.7M |
| Flash Flood | 1,517 | 12 | 3 | $15.9M |
| Heat | 1,222 | 2 | 325 | $0 |
| Flood | 1,152 | 9 | 0 | $40.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
18
Total Paid
$588.0K
Avg Per Claim
$32.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 50.6/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$10.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Ice Storm Very High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Wildfire Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Hurricane Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Drought No Rating
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Ice Storm
Ice storms load power lines and tree limbs with accumulating freezing rain until they fail. The characteristic cost is infrastructure and multi-day power loss across a wide area rather than structural damage to buildings, which is why their consequences often outlast the weather that caused them.
Worth noting for Van Buren County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Ice Storm carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), 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
Van Buren County's closest FEMA peer: King and Queen County, VA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Van Buren County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Van Buren County shows 25 FEMA declarations, led by Severe Storm.
Similar Major-disaster share
Van Buren County: 18 of 25 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Van Buren County: NRI composite 50.6 (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 Van Buren County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 25 FEMA declarations, Van Buren County sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.
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 Van Buren County?
The most common disaster type in Van Buren County is Severe Storm, with 11 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Ice Storm (4), Hurricane (3), Biological (2).
How does Van Buren County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Arkansas average?
FEMA lists 25 declaration records for Van Buren County. That is 3% above the Arkansas county mean of 24.2. Its count is also 21% 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 Van Buren County received?
Van Buren County has received 18 major disaster declarations, representing 72% of all 25 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Van Buren County filed?
Van Buren County has 18 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $588.0K in payments, with an average of $32.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Van Buren County?
No. In Van Buren County, Ice Storm has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $3.8M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Van Buren County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Van Buren County was 2008, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1977 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Van Buren County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Van Buren County, Arkansas has an overall risk score of 50.6 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $10.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Van Buren County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Van Buren County as of the latest release is Ice Storm (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Relatively Moderate) and Landslide (Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts ice storm here at an average of 1.4 times per year, drawn from 93 historical events on record. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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 Van Buren County
Van Buren County, AR has 25 federal declaration records, 3% more than the Arkansas county mean of 24; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 18 of 25 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Arkansas overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Arkansas mean and the totals for 71% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- A short NFIP claims file cannot establish low flood exposure; the data guide explains the limits of each federal measure. 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.