FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Indiana · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Wells County, IN
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2026–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 23
- NRI risk · Very Low
- Winter Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Wells County ranks safer than 23% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 0% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Very Low, based on 1 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2026, most often winter storm, 74% below the national county average of 4.
- Safer than 23%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Very Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 1
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 1
- winter storm 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 Wells County compare?
Wells County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
1 0th percentile higher than 0% 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
Wells County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Indiana county average
How disaster-prone is Wells County?
Declaration frequency
Wells County, Indiana has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2026 and 2026, of which 0 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 29% below the Indiana county average of 1.4 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county's FEMA National Risk Index composite lands at 22.8/100 (Very Low), a modest reading against the rest of the country. Expected Annual Loss is rated Very Low (roughly $9.6M in annualized losses), tempered or compounded by a Very Low social-vulnerability score and Very High community-resilience score. Even the county's top-rated hazard, Tornado, only reaches Relatively Low on FEMA's scale, none of the 18 modeled hazards stand out here.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Wells County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Indiana Avg
-29%
State avg: 1.4
vs. National Avg
-74%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Wells County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Wells 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
18179
IN state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Winter Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3641 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
Storm Events in Indiana
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,080 | 19 | 88 | $67.8M |
| Hail | 1,840 | 0 | 0 | $1.8M |
| Winter Weather | 1,409 | 38 | 85 | $2.9M |
| Flood | 963 | 15 | 3 | $16.1M |
| Winter Storm | 861 | 11 | 6 | $2.6M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Very Low
Score: 22.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$9.6M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Tornado Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Wildfire 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 Indiana
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Wells County, Indiana had?
Wells County, Indiana has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2026 to 2026.
What is the most common disaster type in Wells County?
The most common disaster type in Wells County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Wells County's disaster risk compare to the Indiana average?
Wells County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 29% lower than the Indiana county average of 1.4 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Indiana?
The most common storm types in Indiana include Thunderstorm Wind (6,080 events), Hail (1,840 events), Winter Weather (1,409 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Wells County?
Wells County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Wells County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Wells County, Indiana has an overall risk score of 22.8 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $9.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Wells County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Wells County is Tornado (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Strong Wind (Relatively Low) and Earthquake (Very Low). 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 Wells County
Wells County, IN runs 29% below the Indiana county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 1), a very low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Indiana 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.