FEMA Records
27
High volume
Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Whatcom County, WA
27 FEMA disaster declarations (1971-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 27
- FEMA declarations
- 23
- Major disasters
- 91
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Whatcom County. Its 27 FEMA declarations are 9% above the Washington county mean and exceed the count for 78% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 9%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 9%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 27
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 1,211
- 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 53073 · Whatcom County 27 declarations · rank 630/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-HEAVY · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 27
- MAJOR-HEAVY 85%
- RANK-MID #630
- PHOTO-FINISH Greene
- NRI-MID 91
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-ABOVE +9%
Nearest declaration peer: Greene, MO (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Washington state profile
Whatcom County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Whatcom County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Coal · near 27
Coal · near
27 declarations
- Greene · near 27
Greene · near
27 declarations
- Warren · near 27
Warren · near
27 declarations
- Whatcom · this county 27
Whatcom · this county
27 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Whatcom County carries 27 FEMA declaration records, ranked 630 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Whatcom County ranks in the national declaration registry
Whatcom County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Whatcom County
27 Top 22% higher than 78% 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
Whatcom County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Whatcom County is led by Earthquake (about $50.9M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Avalanche carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). 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 Whatcom County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 1,211 claims and $52.4M 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 $43.2K. 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. Whatcom County's 27 federal records stand 9% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. 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 91.0/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $111.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Avalanche stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 2 years here, based on 15 historical events on record.
75 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Whatcom County, WA · 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
20/30
27 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.3x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
14/25
27 declarations (1.1x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share Very High
21/25
23 of 27 declarations are major disasters (85%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Whatcom County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Whatcom 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
85%
Mostly major
NRI risk score
91
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Whatcom 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 44 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Very High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 476 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 6 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 7 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | an average of 37 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 2.4 modeled event-days per year |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 3.6 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 8.1 times per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 34,141 years |
| Tsunami | Very Low | roughly once every 18 years |
| Drought | Very Low | 5.9 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 53 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 112 years |
| Hail | Very Low | roughly once every 81 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 13
Severe Storm 6
Biological 2
Fire 2
Coastal Storm 1
Earthquake 1
Fishing Losses 1
Volcanic Eruption 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Whatcom County's record, 48% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
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 - 23 85.2%
of all 27 declarations
Emergency - 3 11.1%
of all 27 declarations
Fire Management - 1 3.7%
of all 27 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 2 | |
Show 5 earlier declaration years
| 1983 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 2 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 27 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 27 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4906 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2026-04-07 |
| 3629 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2025-12-12 |
| 4635 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2022-01-05 |
| 4539 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2020-04-23 |
| 4481 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3427 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4418 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, TORNADO | DR | Severe Storm | 2019-03-04 |
| 4309 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2017-04-21 |
| 4243 | WILDFIRES AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Fire | 2015-10-20 |
| 4242 | SEVERE WINDSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-10-15 |
| 5109 | GOODELL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2015-08-24 |
| 1825 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-03-02 |
| 1817 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2009-01-30 |
| 3227 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-07 |
| 1499 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-11-07 |
| 1361 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2001-03-01 |
| 1159 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LAND & MUDS SLIDES,FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-17 |
| 1079 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WIND, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-01-03 |
| 1037 | THE EL NINO (THE SALMON INDUSTRY) | DR | Fishing Losses | 1994-08-02 |
| 896 | SEVERE STORMS & HIGH TIDES | DR | Flood | 1991-03-08 |
Show 7 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 883 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-11-26 |
| 676 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH TIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1983-01-27 |
| 623 | VOLCANIC ERUPTION, MT. ST. HELENS | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 1980-05-21 |
| 612 | STORMS, HIGH TIDES, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1979-12-31 |
| 545 | SEVERE STORMS,MUDSLIDES, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1977-12-10 |
| 492 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-12-13 |
| 300 | HEAVY RAINS, MELTING SNOWS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1971-02-09 |
Storm Events in Washington
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Whatcom County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 1,700 | 5 | 7 | $2.3M |
| High Wind | 614 | 15 | 6 | $1.1B |
| Wildfire | 299 | 4 | 4 | $1.8B |
| Winter Weather | 259 | 9 | 62 | $1.1M |
| Flood | 231 | 4 | 0 | $391.2M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
1,211
Total Paid
$52.4M
Avg Per Claim
$43.2K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 91.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$111.5M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Avalanche Very High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Very High
Volcanic Activity Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Very Low
Tsunami Very Low
Drought Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind 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: Avalanche
Avalanche is the most geographically restricted hazard in the model, limited to steep terrain holding seasonal snow. Its exposure concentrates on mountain roads, rail corridors and backcountry recreation rather than on the built environment generally.
Worth noting for Whatcom County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Avalanche carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. 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
Whatcom County's closest FEMA peer: Lyon County, KS
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Whatcom County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Whatcom County shows 27 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Whatcom County: 23 of 27 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Whatcom County: NRI composite 91.0 (Relatively Moderate).
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 Whatcom County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Whatcom 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: 91.0 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 27. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Whatcom County's NFIP claims file (1,211 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 Whatcom County?
The most common disaster type in Whatcom County is Flood, with 13 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (6), Biological (2), Fire (2).
How does Whatcom County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Washington average?
FEMA lists 27 declaration records for Whatcom County. That is 9% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. Its count is also 30% 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 Whatcom County received?
Whatcom County has received 23 major disaster declarations, representing 85% of all 27 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Whatcom County filed?
Whatcom County has 1,211 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $52.4M in payments, with an average of $43.2K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Whatcom County?
No. In Whatcom County, Avalanche has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Earthquake leads Expected Annual Loss at about $50.9M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Whatcom County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Whatcom County was 2020, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1971 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Whatcom County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Whatcom County, Washington has an overall risk score of 91.0 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Low; on community resilience, Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $111.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Whatcom County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Whatcom County as of the latest release is Avalanche (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Earthquake (Relatively Moderate) and Landslide (Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts avalanche here at roughly once every 2 years, drawn from 15 historical events on record. 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 Whatcom County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Washington profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events