FEMA Records
25
High volume
Rhode Island · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Washington County, RI
25 FEMA disaster declarations (1978-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 25
- FEMA declarations
- 13
- Major disasters
- 64
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Washington County. Its 25 FEMA declarations are 9% above the Rhode Island 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 36%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 36%
- 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
- 2,398
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
How does Washington County compare?
Washington 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
Washington County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Rhode Island county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Washington County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $22.0M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Low), 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 Washington County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 2,398 claims and $51.9M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $21.6K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Washington County's 25 federal records stand 9% above the Rhode Island county mean of 23.0. 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 carries a high composite score on FEMA's National Risk Index, 64.0/100, rated Relatively Low. Its Expected Annual Loss rating is Relatively Low (roughly $31.7M in annualized losses), and a Very Low social-vulnerability profile combined with Very High 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 5 years here, based on 64 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 25 entries for Washington County, including 13 Major Disaster records, 9% above the Rhode Island county mean. Across the 46-year span, that works out to 0.5 declarations a year. Hurricane leads the file with 8 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
60 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Washington County, RI · 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
14/25
25 declarations (1.1x state county average of 23)
Major Disaster Share High
13/25
13 of 25 declarations are major disasters (52%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Washington County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Rhode Island Avg
+9%
State avg: 23.0
vs. National Avg
+21%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 46 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Washington 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
52%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
64
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Washington 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 5 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.7 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 898 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 21 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.4 modeled event-days per year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 3.4 modeled event-days per year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | an average of 10 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | an average of 1.1 times per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 46,120 years |
| Hail | Very Low | an average of 1.5 times per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 8
Snowstorm 7
Severe Storm 6
Biological 2
Fire 1
Toxic Substances 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Washington County's federal record, 32% 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 - 13 52.0%
of all 25 declarations
Emergency - 11 44.0%
of all 25 declarations
Fire Management - 1 4.0%
of all 25 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
Show 2 earlier declaration years
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 2 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4766 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-03-20 |
| 4765 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-03-20 |
| 5464 | QUEENS RIVER FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-04-14 |
| 4653 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2022-05-12 |
| 3563 | HURRICANE HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-21 |
| 4505 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-30 |
| 3440 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4212 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-04-03 |
| 4107 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-03-22 |
| 4089 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-11-03 |
| 3355 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-29 |
| 4027 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-03 |
| 3334 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-27 |
| 3311 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2010-03-30 |
| 1894 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-03-29 |
| 3255 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-19 |
| 3203 | RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
| 3182 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-27 |
| 1091 | BLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM) | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-24 |
| 3102 | BLIZZARDS, HIGH WINDS & RECORD SNOWFALL | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
Show 5 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3094 | WATER CONTAMINATION | EM | Toxic Substances | 1992-09-16 |
| 913 | HURRICANE BOB | DR | Hurricane | 1991-08-26 |
| 748 | HURRICANE GLORIA | DR | Hurricane | 1985-10-15 |
| 548 | SNOW & ICE | DR | Snowstorm | 1978-02-16 |
| 3058 | BLIZZARD & SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1978-02-07 |
Storm Events in Rhode Island
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Washington County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 175 | 0 | 2 | $987.6K |
| Strong Wind | 144 | 1 | 2 | $489.8K |
| High Wind | 124 | 1 | 1 | $427.6K |
| Heavy Snow | 99 | 0 | 1 | $105.0K |
| Flood | 72 | 0 | 0 | $74.3K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
2,398
Total Paid
$51.9M
Avg Per Claim
$21.6K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 64.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$31.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Hail 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 Washington 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
Washington County's closest FEMA peer: McLennan County, TX
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Washington County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Washington County shows 25 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Washington County: 13 of 25 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Washington County: NRI composite 64.0 (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 Washington County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Washington County's NFIP claims file (2,398 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).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Washington County?
The most common disaster type in Washington County is Hurricane, with 8 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (7), Severe Storm (6), Biological (2).
How does Washington County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Rhode Island average?
FEMA lists 25 declaration records for Washington County. That is 9% above the Rhode Island county mean of 23.0. 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 Washington County received?
Washington County has received 13 major disaster declarations, representing 52% of all 25 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Washington County filed?
Washington County has 2,398 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $51.9M in payments, with an average of $21.6K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Washington County?
No. In Washington County, Hurricane has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively Moderate), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $22.0M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Washington County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Washington County was 2013, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1978 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Washington County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Washington County, Rhode Island has an overall risk score of 64.0 out of 100 (Relatively Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Very Low; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $31.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Washington County?
FEMA's NRI data points to Washington County is Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Coastal Flooding (Relatively Moderate) and Riverine Flooding (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts hurricane here at roughly once every 5 years, drawn from 64 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 Washington County
Washington County, RI has 25 federal declaration records, 9% more than the Rhode Island county mean of 23; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 13 of 25 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Rhode Island overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Rhode Island mean and the totals for 71% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- The large NFIP claims file and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records; the guide explains where they overlap and where they do not. 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.