FEMA Records
26
High volume
Puerto Rico · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Vega Alta Municipio, PR
26 FEMA disaster declarations (1971-2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of null. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 26
- FEMA declarations
- 15
- Major disasters
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 72143 · Vega Alta Municipio 26 declarations · rank 788/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-UNK · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-HEAVY 26
- MAJOR-MID 58%
- RANK-MID #788
- PHOTO-FINISH Hunterdon
- NRI-UNK NRI n/a
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-BELOW -4%
Nearest declaration peer: Hunterdon, NJ (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Puerto Rico state profile
Vega Alta Municipio in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among this county and nearest peers
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Hunterdon · near 26
Hunterdon · near
26 declarations
- Pierce · near 26
Pierce · near
26 declarations
- San Sebastián · near 26
San Sebastián · near
26 declarations
- Vega Alta · this county 26
Vega Alta · this county
26 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Vega Alta Municipio carries 26 FEMA declaration records, ranked 788 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How does Vega Alta Municipio compare?
Vega Alta Municipio vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
26 Top 25% higher than 75% 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
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Vega Alta Municipio is led by Hurricane (about $12.4M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Coastal Flooding carries the highest National Risk Index rating (null). 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 Vega Alta Municipio's hazard record show?
FEMA National Risk Index
Even the county's top-rated hazard, Coastal Flooding, only reaches on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 5 years here.
Reading the federal records together
No paid-claim row for this county appears in the NFIP county table used by PlainHazard. That absence is not evidence that flooding never occurred: the register observes claims under federal flood-insurance policies, not uninsured losses, emergency reports, or every flood outside the program. The FEMA declaration history below is therefore the available federal-action record on this page.
Start with the state benchmark: a Puerto Rico county averages 27.1 federal declaration records, while Vega Alta Municipio has 26. The gap is 4% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
60 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Vega Alta Municipio, PR · 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
19/30
26 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
12/25
26 declarations (1.0x state county average of 27)
Major Disaster Share High
14/25
15 of 26 declarations are major disasters (58%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Vega Alta Municipio
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Vega Alta Municipio
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
58%
Major-heavy
County FIPS
72143
PR state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Vega Alta Municipio?
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flooding | roughly once every 5 years | |
| Drought | 0.3 modeled event-days per year | |
| Earthquake | roughly once every 23 years | |
| Hail | roughly once every 38 years | |
| Hurricane | roughly once every 6 years | |
| Heat Wave | 0.1 modeled event-days per year | |
| Riverine Flooding | an average of 1.8 times per year | |
| Landslide | roughly once every 1 years | |
| Lightning | an average of 65 times per year | |
| Strong Wind | roughly once every 201 years | |
| Tornado | roughly once every 632 years | |
| Tsunami | roughly once every 18 years | |
| Volcanic Activity | roughly once every 99 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 13
Severe Storm 5
Flood 4
Biological 2
Tropical Storm 1
Earthquake 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Vega Alta Municipio's federal record, 50% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
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 - 15 57.7%
of all 26 declarations
Emergency - 11 42.3%
of all 26 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
Show 2 earlier declaration years
| 1975 | 2 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 26 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 26 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4850 | TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-11-27 |
| 3610 | TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO | EM | Severe Storm | 2024-08-13 |
| 4671 | HURRICANE FIONA | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-21 |
| 3583 | TROPICAL STORM FIONA | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-18 |
| 4649 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2022-03-29 |
| 3537 | TROPICAL STORM LAURA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-22 |
| 3532 | POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE NINE | EM | Hurricane | 2020-07-29 |
| 4493 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3452 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3426 | EARTHQUAKES | EM | Earthquake | 2020-01-07 |
| 3417 | TROPICAL STORM DORIAN | EM | Severe Storm | 2019-08-27 |
| 4339 | HURRICANE MARIA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-20 |
| 3391 | HURRICANE MARIA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-18 |
| 3384 | HURRICANE IRMA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-05 |
| 3326 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-22 |
| 1919 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-06-24 |
| 1552 | TROPICAL STORM JEANNE AND RESULTING LANDSLIDES AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-09-17 |
| 1396 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-11-28 |
| 3151 | HURRICANE LENNY | EM | Hurricane | 1999-11-17 |
| 1247 | HURRICANE GEORGES - 18 SEP 98 | DR | Hurricane | 1998-09-24 |
Show 6 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1136 | HURRICANE HORTENSE | DR | Hurricane | 1996-09-11 |
| 842 | HURRICANE HUGO | DR | Hurricane | 1989-09-21 |
| 597 | HURRICANE DAVID | DR | Hurricane | 1979-09-02 |
| 483 | TROPICAL STORM ELIOISE | DR | Flood | 1975-09-19 |
| 455 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-11-30 |
| 296 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-10-12 |
Storm Events in Puerto Rico
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Vega Alta Municipio.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 907 | 31 | 14 | $19.0B |
| Flood | 858 | 2 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Debris Flow | 297 | 0 | 0 | $3.8M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 194 | 1 | 3 | $1.7M |
| Excessive Heat | 184 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Score: N/A/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$31.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Data Unavailable
Community Resilience
Data Unavailable
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Coastal Flooding
Drought
Earthquake
Hail
Hurricane
Heat Wave
Riverine Flooding
Landslide
Lightning
Strong Wind
Tornado
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
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: Coastal Flooding
Coastal Flooding is modeled separately from riverine flooding because its driver is different: surge, tide and wave action rather than a watershed draining. It is also the hazard whose baseline is moving, since the same storm rides on a higher starting sea level than it used to.
For Vega Alta Municipio the two measures on this page point the same way: Coastal Flooding is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard, and Hurricane declarations also lead its federal record. Where the model and the declaration history agree, the reading is comparatively straightforward, the hazard is both expected and repeatedly realised.
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
Vega Alta Municipio's closest FEMA peer: Parker County, TX
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields for Vega Alta Municipio. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Vega Alta Municipio shows 26 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Vega Alta Municipio: 15 of 26 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 Vega Alta Municipio - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Vega Alta Municipio: 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: 26. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Most disaster-prone counties
With 26 FEMA declarations, Vega Alta Municipio 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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Vega Alta Municipio?
The most common disaster type in Vega Alta Municipio is Hurricane, with 13 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (5), Flood (4), Biological (2).
How does Vega Alta Municipio's FEMA declaration record compare with the Puerto Rico average?
The typical Puerto Rico county has 27.1 FEMA declaration records; Vega Alta Municipio has 26, or 4% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 25% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Vega Alta Municipio received?
Vega Alta Municipio has received 15 major disaster declarations, representing 58% of all 26 disaster declarations.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Vega Alta Municipio?
No. In Vega Alta Municipio, Coastal Flooding has the highest National Risk Index rating (null), while Hurricane leads Expected Annual Loss at about $12.4M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Vega Alta Municipio?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Vega Alta Municipio was 2020, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1971 to 2025.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Vega Alta Municipio?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Vega Alta Municipio, Puerto Rico has an overall risk score of N/A out of 100 (null). The county's social vulnerability rating is Data Unavailable and community resilience is Data Unavailable. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $31.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Vega Alta Municipio?
FEMA's NRI data points to Vega Alta Municipio is Coastal Flooding (risk rating: null). Other significant hazards include Drought (null) and Earthquake (null). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts coastal flooding here at roughly once every 5 years. 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.
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 2026-08-03. 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
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.