FEMA Records
33
Very high volume
Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Wahkiakum County, WA
33 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 33
- FEMA declarations
- 30
- Major disasters
- 19
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Wahkiakum County. Its 33 FEMA declarations are 33% above the Washington county mean and exceed the count for 91% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it safer than 19%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Safer than 19%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 33
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 93
- 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 53069 · Wahkiakum County 33 declarations · rank 294/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-HEAVY · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 33
- MAJOR-HEAVY 91%
- RANK-UPPER #294
- PHOTO-FINISH Nelson
- NRI-LOW Very Low
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-ABOVE +33%
Nearest declaration peer: Nelson, ND (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Washington state profile
Wahkiakum County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Wahkiakum County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Garvin · near 33
Garvin · near
33 declarations
- Monterey · near 33
Monterey · near
33 declarations
- Nelson · near 33
Nelson · near
33 declarations
- Wahkiakum · this county 33
Wahkiakum · this county
33 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Wahkiakum County carries 33 FEMA declaration records, ranked 294 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Wahkiakum County ranks in the national declaration registry
Wahkiakum County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Wahkiakum County
33 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Wahkiakum County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Wahkiakum County is led by Tsunami (about $2.0M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Landslide carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Low). 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 Wahkiakum County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 93 paid claims, totaling $1.8M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $19.1K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Wahkiakum County's 33 federal records stand 33% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. 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's FEMA National Risk Index composite lands at 19.3/100 (Very Low), a modest reading against the rest of the country. Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $6.0M in annualized losses), tempered or compounded by a Relatively High social-vulnerability score and Relatively Moderate community-resilience score. Even the county's top-rated hazard, Landslide, only reaches Relatively Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 1.8 times per year here.
82 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Wahkiakum County, WA · 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
24/30
33 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
17/25
33 declarations (1.3x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share Very High
23/25
30 of 33 declarations are major disasters (91%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Wahkiakum County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Wahkiakum 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
91%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
19
Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Wahkiakum 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 Low | an average of 1.8 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 54 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 4.4 times per year |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 98 years |
| Tsunami | Relatively Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 47,103 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 19 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 50 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 34 years |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | an average of 8.1 times per year |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 38 years |
| Lightning | Very Low | an average of 5.2 times per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 14
Severe Storm 13
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
Earthquake 1
Fishing Losses 1
Volcanic Eruption 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Wahkiakum County's record, 42% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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 - 30 90.9%
of all 33 declarations
Emergency - 3 9.1%
of all 33 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
Show 11 earlier declaration years
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
| 1987 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 33 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 33 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4906 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2026-04-07 |
| 3629 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2025-12-12 |
| 4775 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-28 |
| 4682 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-01-12 |
| 4650 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWSTORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2022-03-29 |
| 4593 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2021-04-08 |
| 4539 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2020-04-23 |
| 4481 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3427 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4309 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2017-04-21 |
| 4253 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AND A T | DR | Flood | 2016-02-02 |
| 4249 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-01-15 |
| 4056 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-03-05 |
| 1963 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-03-25 |
| 1825 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-03-02 |
| 1817 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2009-01-30 |
| 1734 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-12-08 |
| 1682 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-02-14 |
| 1671 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-12-12 |
| 1641 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TIDAL SURGE, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-05-17 |
Show 13 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3227 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 1361 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2001-03-01 |
| 1100 | HIGH WINDS, SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-09 |
| 1079 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WIND, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-01-03 |
| 1037 | THE EL NINO (THE SALMON INDUSTRY) | DR | Fishing Losses | 1994-08-02 |
| 981 | SEVERE STORMS & HIGH WIND | DR | Severe Storm | 1993-03-04 |
| 883 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-11-26 |
| 852 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-01-18 |
| 784 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1986-12-15 |
| 623 | VOLCANIC ERUPTION, MT. ST. HELENS | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 1980-05-21 |
| 545 | SEVERE STORMS,MUDSLIDES, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1977-12-10 |
| 322 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1972-02-01 |
| 185 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1964-12-29 |
Storm Events in Washington
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Wahkiakum County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,700 | 5 | 7 | $2.3M |
| High Wind | 614 | 15 | 6 | $1.1B |
| Wildfire | 299 | 4 | 4 | $1.8B |
| Winter Weather | 259 | 9 | 62 | $1.1M |
| Flood | 231 | 4 | 0 | $391.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
93
Total Paid
$1.8M
Avg Per Claim
$19.1K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 19.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$6.0M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Landslide Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Tsunami Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Cold Wave Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Hail Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Drought No Rating
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 Wahkiakum County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Landslide carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively Low), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. 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
Wahkiakum County's closest FEMA peer: Washington County, VT
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Wahkiakum County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Wahkiakum County shows 33 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Wahkiakum County: 30 of 33 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Wahkiakum County: NRI composite 19.3 (Very 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 Wahkiakum County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Wahkiakum 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: 19.3 (Very Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 33. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Wahkiakum County's NFIP claims file (93 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 Wahkiakum County?
The most common disaster type in Wahkiakum County is Flood, with 14 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (13), Biological (2), Coastal Storm (1).
How does Wahkiakum County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Washington average?
FEMA lists 33 declaration records for Wahkiakum County. That is 33% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. Its count is also 59% 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 Wahkiakum County received?
Wahkiakum County has received 30 major disaster declarations, representing 91% of all 33 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Wahkiakum County filed?
Wahkiakum County has 93 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.8M in payments, with an average of $19.1K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Wahkiakum County?
No. In Wahkiakum County, Landslide has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Low), while Tsunami leads Expected Annual Loss at about $2.0M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Wahkiakum County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Wahkiakum County was 2020, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Wahkiakum County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Wahkiakum County, Washington has an overall risk score of 19.3 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $6.0M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Wahkiakum County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Wahkiakum County as of the latest release is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively Low) and Coastal Flooding (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts landslide here at an average of 1.8 times per year. 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Wahkiakum County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Washington profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events