FEMA Records
13
Total declarations
Florida · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Wakulla County, FL
13 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 13
- FEMA declarations
- 6
- Major disasters
- 47
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Wakulla County ranks safer than 47% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 97% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Low, based on 13 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2021, most often hurricane, 238% above the national county average of 4.
- Safer than 47%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 13
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 6
- hurricane declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Wakulla County compare?
Wakulla County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
13 Top 3% higher than 97% of 2,791 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 · 2026-07-25
Wakulla County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Florida county average
How disaster-prone is Wakulla County?
Declaration frequency
Wakulla County, Florida has recorded 13 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2024, of which 6 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 4.3 declarations per year across a 3-year record, or roughly 16% above the Florida county average of 11.2 and 238% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 6 of 13 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 46.7/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Relatively Low (roughly $18.9M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Very Low) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Hurricane carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators place Wakulla County at a high relative risk level, its federal disaster history outpaces most of the country, and it is worth pairing that record with forward-looking hazard maps before making insurance or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
High
vs. Florida Avg
+16%
State avg: 11.2
vs. National Avg
+238%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
4.3
Over 3 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Wakulla County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Wakulla 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
12129
FL state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 6
Tropical Storm 5
Severe Storm 2
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 7 53.8%
of all 13 declarations
Major Disaster - 6 46.2%
of all 13 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4828 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-28 |
| 3615 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 4806 | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-10 |
| 3605 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-03 |
| 4794 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-06-17 |
| 4734 | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR | Hurricane | 2023-08-31 |
| 3596 | TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | EM | Tropical Storm | 2023-08-28 |
| 4680 | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR | Hurricane | 2022-12-13 |
| 3587 | TROPICAL STORM NICOLE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2022-11-08 |
| 4673 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
| 3584 | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-24 |
| 3562 | TROPICAL STORM FRED | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-16 |
| 3561 | TROPICAL STORM ELSA | EM | Severe Storm | 2021-07-04 |
Storm Events in Florida
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,945 | 21 | 52 | $31.8M |
| Hail | 1,205 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| Heavy Rain | 1,059 | 2 | 3 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 976 | 15 | 0 | $3.1B |
| Tropical Storm | 874 | 107 | 6 | $5.2B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 46.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$18.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Drought Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Hail 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 Florida
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Wakulla County, Florida had?
Wakulla County, Florida has received 13 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2024. Of these, 6 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Wakulla County?
The most common disaster type in Wakulla County is Hurricane, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Tropical Storm (5), Severe Storm (2).
How does Wakulla County's disaster risk compare to the Florida average?
Wakulla County has 13 disaster declarations, which is 16% higher than the Florida county average of 11.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 238% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Wakulla County received?
Wakulla County has received 6 major disaster declarations, representing 46% of all 13 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Florida?
The most common storm types in Florida include Thunderstorm Wind (5,945 events), Hail (1,205 events), Heavy Rain (1,059 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Wakulla County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Wakulla County was 2024, with 5 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Wakulla County?
Wakulla County has recorded 13 FEMA disaster declarations, a volume FEMA data classifies as high-risk, well above what most U.S. counties see over the same period.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Wakulla County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Wakulla County, Florida has an overall risk score of 46.7 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $18.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Wakulla County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Wakulla County is Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Wildfire (Relatively Low) and Cold Wave (Relatively Moderate). 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 Wakulla County
Wakulla County, FL runs 16% above the Florida county average for federal disaster declarations (13 vs 11), a high historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (7 of 13) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Florida 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. 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 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 national statistics report, or report a data error.