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North Carolina · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Warren County, NC

24 FEMA disaster declarations (1977-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Hurricane.

24
FEMA declarations
10
Major disasters
51
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Hurricane
Top hazard

The verdict

Warren County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 24 declarations, more than 66% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 0% below the North Carolina county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 49%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.

Riskiest 49%
of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
Relatively Low
FEMA National Risk Index rating
24
FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
4
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.

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FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk

County FIPS 37185 · Warren County 24 declarations · rank 1001/3,266

DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW

  • DECL-HEAVY 24
  • MAJOR-LIGHT 42%
  • RANK-LOWER #1,001
  • PHOTO-FINISH Eddy
  • NRI-LOW 51
  • ACT-HIGH High
  • TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
  • VS-ST-BELOW -0%

Nearest declaration peer: Eddy, ND (0 declaration gap)

FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · North Carolina state profile

Warren County in the declaration-count neighbourhood

FEMA declaration records among Warren County and nearest peers by total count

declarations

What this shows Warren County carries 24 FEMA declaration records, ranked 1001 of 3,266 counties in this registry.

Source FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 As of 2026-08-25

How Warren County's FEMA declaration count compares nationally

Warren County vs. all counties in this dataset

FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Warren County

24 Top 34% higher than 66% of 3,266 counties

This county 0 90 all U.S. counties FEMA tracks, bucketed by value

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

Warren County's FEMA Risk Index score

0/100100/100North Carolina avg67/10050.8/100
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the North Carolina county average

Which hazard drives modeled loss here?

FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Warren County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $4.9M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Hurricane carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate). 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 Warren County's hazard record show?

FEMA National Risk Index

This county carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 50.8/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Very Low (roughly $10.2M 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. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Hurricane carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 6 years here, based on 46 historical events on record.

Reading the federal records together

This county has a small entry in FEMA's NFIP paid-claims table: 4 claims and $0 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.

Start with the state benchmark: a North Carolina county averages 24.0 federal declaration records, while Warren County has 24. The gap is 0% 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.

59 /100

Historical Activity Index

High historical activity

Warren County, NC · 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
17/30

24 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.2x national county average)

County Disaster Density Moderate
12/25

24 declarations (1.0x state county average of 24)

Major Disaster Share Moderate
10/25

10 of 24 declarations are major disasters (42%)

Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20

8 different disaster types declared in Warren County

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Warren County

Warren County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 25, Hurricane 48, Tornado 25, Wildfire 8, Drought 48, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 48. The simple mean of these eight displayed scores is 29 of 100. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 29 8-hazard mean
Warren County NRI risk profile FIPS 37185 · displayed-hazard mean 29/100
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.

FEMA Records

24

Above median

Major Disaster share

42%

Mixed major share

NRI risk score

51

Relatively Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release

How often does each hazard strike Warren 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
Hurricane Relatively Moderate roughly once every 6 years
Drought Relatively Moderate 16 modeled event-days per year
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate an average of 6.9 times per year
Tornado Relatively Low roughly once every 5 years
Hail Relatively Low an average of 3.2 times per year
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low roughly once every 1 years
Earthquake Very Low roughly once every 997 years
Heat Wave Relatively Low 5.8 modeled event-days per year
Ice Storm Relatively Low an average of 1.4 times per year
Lightning Relatively Low an average of 46 times per year
Cold Wave Relatively Low roughly once every 1 years
Strong Wind Relatively Low roughly once every 1 years
Wildfire Very Low roughly once every 5,858 years
Landslide Very Low roughly once every 5 years

Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release

Disaster Types

Hurricane 12
Snowstorm 4
Tropical Storm 2
Biological 2
Winter Storm 1
Severe Ice Storm 1
Severe Storm 1
Drought 1

What Hurricane declarations mean here

Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Warren County'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).

Emergency - 14 58.3%

of all 24 declarations

Major Disaster - 10 41.7%

of all 24 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Year Declarations
2026 1
2024 2
2023 1
2020 3
2019 1
2018 1
2017 2
2011 1
2005 1
2003 2
2000 1
1999 2
1996 3
1993 1
1977 2

Disaster Declarations

How the 24 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.

Download these 24 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3637 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-24
3617 HURRICANE HELENE EM Tropical Storm 2024-09-26
3608 TROPICAL STORM DEBBY EM Tropical Storm 2024-08-06
3586 HURRICANE IAN EM Hurricane 2022-10-01
3534 HURRICANE ISAIAS EM Hurricane 2020-08-02
4487 COVID-19 PANDEMIC DR Biological 2020-03-25
3471 COVID-19 EM Biological 2020-03-13
3423 HURRICANE DORIAN EM Hurricane 2019-09-03
3401 HURRICANE FLORENCE EM Hurricane 2018-09-10
4285 HURRICANE MATTHEW DR Hurricane 2016-10-10
3380 HURRICANE MATTHEW EM Hurricane 2016-10-07
4019 HURRICANE IRENE DR Hurricane 2011-08-31
3222 HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION EM Hurricane 2005-09-05
1490 HURRICANE ISABEL DR Hurricane 2003-09-18
1448 SEVERE ICE STORM DR Severe Ice Storm 2002-12-12
1312 SEVERE WINTER STORM DR Severe Storm 2000-01-31
1292 HURRICANE FLOYD MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATIONS DR Hurricane 1999-09-16
3146 HURRICANE FLOYD EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS EM Hurricane 1999-09-15
1134 HURRICANE FRAN DR Hurricane 1996-09-06
1103 WINTER STORM DR Snowstorm 1996-02-23
Show 4 earlier declaration records
DR# Title Type Incident Date
1087 BLIZZARD OF 96 DR Snowstorm 1996-01-13
3110 SEVERE SNOWFALL & WINTER STORM EM Snowstorm 1993-03-17
3049 DROUGHT EM Drought 1977-08-11
3033 DROUGHT & FREEZING EM Snowstorm 1977-03-02

Storm Events in North Carolina

Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Warren County.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 7,123 11 60 $62.9M
Flash Flood 1,881 105 6 $2.3B
Hail 1,623 0 0 $122.5M
Winter Weather 1,272 6 2 $425.0K
Winter Storm 743 7 0 $10.7M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025

NFIP Flood Insurance Claims

Total Claims

4

Total Paid

$0

Avg Per Claim

$0

Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data

FEMA National Risk Index

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 50.8/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$10.2M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very High

Community Resilience

Very Low

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Landslide Very Low

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: Hurricane

Hurricane exposure in the model bundles the three ways a tropical system does harm, which arrive on different timescales and are insured differently: wind, storm surge on the coast, and rainfall flooding that can reach far inland well after landfall.

For Warren County the two measures on this page point the same way: Hurricane is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively Moderate), 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

Warren County's closest FEMA peer: Coconino County, AZ

Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Warren County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.

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 Warren County - capture-dated entries only.

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume

Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Warren 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.

Further reading for this county

Most disaster-prone counties

With 24 FEMA declarations, Warren County sits in the high-volume declaration band - see how that count ranks against other U.S. counties.

More PlainHazard guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common disaster type in Warren County?
The most common disaster type in Warren County is Hurricane, with 12 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (4), Tropical Storm (2), Biological (2).
How does Warren County's FEMA declaration record compare with the North Carolina average?
The typical North Carolina county has 24.0 FEMA declaration records; Warren County has 24, or 0% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 16% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Warren County received?
Warren County has received 10 major disaster declarations, representing 42% of all 24 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Warren County filed?
Warren County has 4 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $0 in payments, with an average of $0 per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Warren County?
No. In Warren County, Hurricane has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $4.9M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Warren County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Warren County was 1996, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1977 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Warren County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Warren County, North Carolina has an overall risk score of 50.8 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Very High, while community resilience comes in at Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $10.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Warren County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Warren County is Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Drought (Relatively Moderate) and Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts hurricane here at roughly once every 6 years, drawn from 46 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.

FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Warren County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · North Carolina profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events