FEMA Records
36
Very high volume
Washington · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Yakima County, WA
36 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 36
- FEMA declarations
- 17
- Major disasters
- 94
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Yakima County. Its 36 FEMA declarations are 45% above the Washington county mean and exceed the count for 94% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 6%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 6%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 36
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 320
- 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 53077 · Yakima County 36 declarations · rank 188/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-LIGHT · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-MID · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 36
- MAJOR-LIGHT 47%
- RANK-UPPER #188
- PHOTO-FINISH Hardee
- NRI-MID 94
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Fire
- VS-ST-ABOVE +45%
Nearest declaration peer: Hardee, FL (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Washington state profile
Yakima County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Yakima County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Hardee · near
Hardee · near
36 declarations
- Pearl River · near
Pearl River · near
36 declarations
- Suffolk · near
Suffolk · near
36 declarations
- Yakima · this county
Yakima · this county
36 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Yakima County carries 36 FEMA declaration records, ranked 188 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Yakima County ranks in the national declaration registry
Yakima County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Yakima County
36 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Yakima County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Yakima County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $43.5M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Low), while Wildfire carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively 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 Yakima County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 320 paid claims, totaling $2.8M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $8.7K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Yakima County's 36 federal records stand 45% 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 94.0/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $119.8M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Wildfire stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at roughly once every 79 years here.
76 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Yakima 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) Very High
26/30
36 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.7x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
18/25
36 declarations (1.4x state county average of 25)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
12/25
17 of 36 declarations are major disasters (47%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Yakima County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Yakima 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
47%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
94
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Yakima 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | roughly once every 79 years |
| Landslide | Relatively High | an average of 4.5 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | roughly once every 3 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 76 years |
| Avalanche | Very High | roughly once every 8 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 4.8 modeled event-days per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.5 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 11 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | roughly once every 76 years |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | an average of 18 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 9 years |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 7.6 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | roughly once every 14 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 24 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 9 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 17
Flood 10
Severe Storm 3
Biological 2
Coastal Storm 1
Earthquake 1
Volcanic Eruption 1
Drought 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Yakima County's record, 47% 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).
Major Disaster - 17 47.2%
of all 36 declarations
Fire Management - 14 38.9%
of all 36 declarations
Emergency - 5 13.9%
of all 36 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 3 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
Show 10 earlier declaration years
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 2 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 36 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 36 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 |
| 5521 | RETREAT FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-26 |
| 5517 | WEST WHITE SWAN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-23 |
| 5499 | SLIDE RANCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-06-23 |
| 5415 | SCHNEIDER SPRINGS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-19 |
| 4584 | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Fire | 2021-02-04 |
| 5342 | EVANS CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-09-01 |
| 5330 | NORTH BROWNSTOWN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-08-17 |
| 4481 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 3427 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5269 | HAWK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2018-08-11 |
| 5187 | SOUTH WENAS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-06-28 |
| 4243 | WILDFIRES AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Fire | 2015-10-20 |
| 3372 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2015-08-21 |
| 2848 | COWICHE MILLS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2010-07-19 |
| 2827 | DRY CREEK FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2009-08-22 |
| 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 |
Show 16 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2546 | MUD LAKE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2004-08-12 |
| 2477 | WA-MIDDLE FORK FIRE-07-12-2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-07-12 |
| 2377 | WA SPRUCE DOME FIRE COMPLEX 2377 | FM | Fire | 2001-08-16 |
| 1361 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2001-03-01 |
| 2323 | WA - MULE DRY FIRE - 2000 | FM | Fire | 2000-08-25 |
| 1159 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, LAND & MUDS SLIDES,FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-01-17 |
| 1100 | HIGH WINDS, SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-09 |
| 1079 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WIND, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-01-03 |
| 883 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1990-11-26 |
| 623 | VOLCANIC ERUPTION, MT. ST. HELENS | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 1980-05-21 |
| 545 | SEVERE STORMS,MUDSLIDES, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1977-12-10 |
| 3037 | DROUGHT | EM | Drought | 1977-03-31 |
| 492 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-12-13 |
| 414 | SEVERE STORMS, SNOWMELT & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-01-25 |
| 300 | HEAVY RAINS, MELTING SNOWS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1971-02-09 |
| 185 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1964-12-29 |
Storm Events in Washington
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Yakima 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
320
Total Paid
$2.8M
Avg Per Claim
$8.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 94.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$119.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively High
Landslide Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Avalanche Very High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Volcanic Activity Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively High
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Tornado 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: Wildfire
Wildfire risk in the model reflects fuel, terrain, weather and how much development sits in the wildland-urban interface. It is one of the few hazards where the exposure is materially changed by land management and building choices, not only by where the county happens to be.
For Yakima County the two measures on this page point the same way: Wildfire is the county's highest-rated modeled hazard (Relatively High), and Fire 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
Yakima County's closest FEMA peer: New Haven County, CT
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Yakima County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Yakima County shows 36 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Yakima County: 17 of 36 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Yakima County: NRI composite 94.0 (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 Yakima County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Yakima 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: 94.0 (Relatively Moderate).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 36. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Yakima County's NFIP claims file (320 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 Yakima County?
The most common disaster type in Yakima County is Fire, with 17 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (10), Severe Storm (3), Biological (2).
How does Yakima County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Washington average?
FEMA lists 36 declaration records for Yakima County. That is 45% above the Washington county mean of 24.9. Its count is also 74% 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 Yakima County received?
Yakima County has received 17 major disaster declarations, representing 47% of all 36 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Yakima County filed?
Yakima County has 320 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $2.8M in payments, with an average of $8.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Yakima County?
No. In Yakima County, Wildfire has the highest National Risk Index rating (Relatively High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $43.5M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Yakima County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Yakima County was 2020, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2026.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Yakima County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Yakima County, Washington has an overall risk score of 94.0 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively High; on community resilience, Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $119.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Yakima County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Yakima County as of the latest release is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively High) and Cold Wave (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts wildfire here at roughly once every 79 years. 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.
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 Yakima County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Washington profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events