FEMA Records
48
Very high volume
Nevada · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Washoe County, NV
48 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 48
- FEMA declarations
- 7
- Major disasters
- 97
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Washoe County. Its 48 FEMA declarations are 3.9 times the Nevada county mean and exceed the count for 99% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 3%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 3%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 48
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 754
- 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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 32031 · Washoe County 48 declarations · rank 28/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-LOW · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-MEGA
- DECL-HEAVY 48
- MAJOR-LOW 15%
- RANK-TOP #28
- PHOTO-FINISH Tangipahoa
- NRI-HIGH 97
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-MEGA 3.9× mean
Nearest declaration peer: Tangipahoa, LA (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Nevada state profile
Washoe County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Washoe County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Sarasota · near
Sarasota · near
48 declarations
- St. Bernard · near
St. Bernard · near
48 declarations
- Tangipahoa · near
Tangipahoa · near
48 declarations
- Washoe · this county
Washoe · this county
48 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Washoe County carries 48 FEMA declaration records, ranked 28 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Washoe County ranks in the national declaration registry
Washoe County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Washoe County
48 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Washoe County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Washoe County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 754 claims and $30.9M 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 $40.9K. 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. Washoe County's 48 federal records stand 3.9 times the Nevada county mean of 12.4. 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 sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 96.7/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $273.8M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Earthquake stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 24 years here.
74 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Washoe County, NV · 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
30/30
48 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (2.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
25/25
48 declarations (3.9x state county average of 12)
Major Disaster Share Low
4/25
7 of 48 declarations are major disasters (15%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Washoe County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Washoe 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
15%
Few majors
NRI risk score
97
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Washoe 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively High | roughly once every 24 years |
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 12 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | roughly once every 101 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 17 times per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | an average of 7.3 times per year |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 8 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 67 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 435 years |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 11 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 17 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 3.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 139 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 9 years |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | roughly once every 182,591 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 37
Severe Storm 4
Biological 2
Snowstorm 2
Flood 2
Hurricane 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Washoe County's record, 77% of its declarations. Wildfire is the one hazard here with its own dedicated federal instrument: the Fire Management Assistance Grant, which appears in this data as an FM record. An FMAG can be authorised while a fire is still burning, on a timescale of hours, because its purpose is to reimburse the cost of fighting a fire that threatens to become a major disaster.
That distinction matters when comparing counties. An FM declaration is not a presidential major disaster declaration and does not carry the same assistance programmes, so a fire-heavy county's total is not directly comparable with a hurricane-heavy county's total unless the declaration types are separated, which is why they are listed separately on this page.
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).
Fire Management - 37 77.1%
of all 48 declarations
Major Disaster - 7 14.6%
of all 48 declarations
Emergency - 4 8.3%
of all 48 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 6 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 4 | |
| 2006 | 3 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 3 | |
| 2003 | 2 | |
Show 6 earlier declaration years
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 2 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 48 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 48 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5602 | PEAVINE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-08-02 |
| 5586 | MARIE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-06-10 |
| 5546 | CALLAHAN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-11-11 |
| 5533 | DAVIS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-09-07 |
| 5530 | GOLD RANCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-08-12 |
| 5495 | SULLIVAN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-06-12 |
| 5494 | TRAIL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-06-11 |
| 5448 | JOY LAKE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-08-14 |
| 5382 | PINEHAVEN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-11-17 |
| 5328 | LOYALTON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-08-15 |
| 5326 | NORTH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-08-03 |
| 5322 | ROCKFARM FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-07-21 |
| 5316 | POEVILLE ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-06-27 |
| 4523 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-04 |
| 3443 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5291 | LONG VALLEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-08-24 |
| 5283 | JASPER FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-07-13 |
| 5190 | COLD SPRINGS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-07-14 |
| 4307 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-03-27 |
| 4303 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-02-17 |
Show 28 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5156 | LITTLE VALLEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-10-14 |
| 5141 | VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS COMPLEX FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-07-31 |
| 5138 | ROCK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-07-29 |
| 2974 | WASHOE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-01-19 |
| 2973 | CAUGHLIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-11-18 |
| 2822 | RED ROCK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2009-07-17 |
| 2713 | HAWKEN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-07-16 |
| 2709 | HUNGRY VALLEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-07-08 |
| 2704 | RED ROCK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-07-06 |
| 2679 | PINEHAVEN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-11-11 |
| 2664 | VERDI FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-08-12 |
| 2649 | OREGON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-06-27 |
| 1629 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-02-03 |
| 3243 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 3204 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-23 |
| 3202 | RECORD AND/OR NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
| 2550 | ANDREW WILDFIRE | FM | Fire | 2004-08-25 |
| 2531 | WATERFALL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2004-07-14 |
| 2524 | VERDI FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2004-06-30 |
| 2479 | NV-ROBB WILDFIRE-7-14-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-07-15 |
| 2476 | NV-RED ROCK FIRE 7-11-03 | FM | Fire | 2003-07-11 |
| 2371 | NV - ANTELOPE FIRE - 08/09/2001 | FM | Fire | 2001-08-09 |
| 2316 | NV - ARROWCREEK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2000-08-01 |
| 2312 | RENO FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2000-06-30 |
| 2265 | MIRA LOMA FIRE | FM | Fire | 1999-07-03 |
| 1153 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUD AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-03 |
| 759 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1986-02-28 |
| 187 | SEVERE STORMS, HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1965-01-18 |
Storm Events in Nevada
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Washoe County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 1,647 | 0 | 2 | $10.4M |
| Heavy Snow | 926 | 0 | 0 | $123.0K |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 463 | 3 | 0 | $8.7M |
| Flash Flood | 315 | 7 | 2 | $36.7M |
| Excessive Heat | 252 | 376 | 17 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
754
Total Paid
$30.9M
Avg Per Claim
$40.9K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 96.7/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$273.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Earthquake Relatively High
Winter Weather Very High
Wildfire Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Tornado Very Low
Cold Wave 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: Earthquake
Earthquake is the model's clearest example of a hazard with no season and no warning. Its expected loss is driven less by how often shaking occurs than by how much of the building stock predates modern seismic codes, so exposure can be high in places where nothing has happened for a long time.
Worth noting for Washoe County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Earthquake carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Fire. 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
Washoe County's closest FEMA peer: Rapides Parish, LA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Washoe County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Washoe County shows 48 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Washoe County: 7 of 48 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Washoe County: NRI composite 96.7 (Relatively High).
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 Washoe County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Washoe 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: 96.7 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 48. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Washoe County's NFIP claims file (754 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 Washoe County?
The most common disaster type in Washoe County is Fire, with 37 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (4), Biological (2), Snowstorm (2).
How does Washoe County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Nevada average?
FEMA lists 48 declaration records for Washoe County. That is 287% above the Nevada county mean of 12.4. Its count is also 132% 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 Washoe County received?
Washoe County has received 7 major disaster declarations, representing 15% of all 48 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Washoe County filed?
Washoe County has 754 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $30.9M in payments, with an average of $40.9K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Washoe County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Washoe County was 2020, with 6 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2025.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Washoe County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Washoe County, Nevada has an overall risk score of 96.7 out of 100 (Relatively High). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $273.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Washoe County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Washoe County is Earthquake (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Very High) and Wildfire (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts earthquake here at roughly once every 24 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.
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 Washoe County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Nevada profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events