FEMA disaster declarations by year

FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), 1953 to 2026-10-02

FEMA declared 119 disasters a year on average in the 2010s, against 18 a year in the 1960s; the busiest year was 2020, with 315. Set against the storm record, weather major-disaster declarations barely track the year's recorded damage (Spearman 0.20, 1996-2025) and barely its deaths (0.27): 2024 had the most weather major disasters (100), 2005 the most damage ($127.8B).

By PlainHazard Editorial · Updated October 8, 2026 · How this was measured

Declarations per year, 1953 to 2026

Disaster numbers by the year first declared (2026 to October 2, 2026).

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). OpenFEMA dataset page.

Every year

Declarations by year and type
Year	All	Major disasters	Emergencies	Fire management
2026*	135	48	24	63
2025	119	45	7	67
2024	182	100	20	62
2023	114	71	13	30
2022	90	47	10	33
2021	120	58	22	40
2020	315	104	133	78
2019	101	61	15	25
2018	124	59	14	51
2017	137	59	16	62
2016	103	46	7	50
2015	79	43	2	34
2014	84	45	6	33
2013	95	62	5	28
2012	112	47	16	49
2011	242	99	29	114
2010	108	81	9	18
2009	115	59	7	49
2008	143	75	17	51
2007	136	63	13	60
2006	143	52	5	86
2005	155	48	68	39
2004	118	68	7	43
2003	123	56	19	48
2002	118	49	0	69
2001	100	45	11	44
2000	114	45	6	63
1999	110	50	20	40
1998	128	65	9	54
1997	47	44	0	3
1996	158	75	8	75
1995	38	32	2	4
1994	57	36	1	20
1993	58	32	19	7
1992	53	45	2	6
1991	45	43	0	2
1990	43	38	0	5
1989	32	31	0	1
1988	16	11	0	5
1987	31	23	1	7
1986	29	28	0	1
1985	36	27	0	9
1984	42	34	4	4
1983	24	21	1	2
1982	27	24	3	0
1981	18	15	0	3
1980	31	23	6	2
1979	58	41	10	7
1978	41	25	14	2
1977	61	22	34	5
1976	43	28	8	7
1975	45	38	6	1
1974	53	46	5	2
1973	55	46	0	9
1972	48	48	0	0
1971	20	17	0	3
1970	19	17	0	2
1969	29	29	0	0
1968	18	18	0	0
1967	10	10	0	0
1966	11	11	0	0
1965	25	25	0	0
1964	25	25	0	0
1963	20	20	0	0
1962	22	22	0	0
1961	12	12	0	0
1960	12	12	0	0
1959	7	7	0	0
1958	7	7	0	0
1957	16	16	0	0
1956	16	16	0	0
1955	18	18	0	0
1954	17	17	0	0
1953	13	13	0	0

* 2026 to October 2, 2026.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2).

Do weather declarations follow the storm record?

Each year since 1996 (when NOAA began recording every event type): FEMA's major-disaster declarations for weather incident types, against the deaths and damage in NOAA's storm record that year. A year's declarations can follow storms of the year before, and a single hurricane can carry a year's damage, so the two need not move together year by year.

Weather major-disaster declarations and the storm record by year, 1996-2025
Year	Weather major disasters	Storm deaths	Storm damage, 2025 $
2025	45	857	$4.7B
2024	100	1,127	$12.8B
2023	70	1,454	$17.1B
2022	47	1,183	$21.9B
2021	55	1,229	$13.5B
2020	45	891	$28.9B
2019	60	721	$8.7B
2018	58	1,035	$45.6B
2017	59	711	$96.8B
2016	46	644	$22.5B
2015	43	682	$5.9B
2014	43	547	$9.6B
2013	61	587	$12.9B
2012	47	702	$37.0B
2011	94	1,331	$30.5B
2010	80	672	$15.7B
2009	58	552	$9.0B
2008	75	819	$40.0B
2007	63	708	$15.1B
2006	51	656	$15.4B
2005	48	1,450	$127.8B
2004	67	364	$40.1B
2003	56	441	$16.4B
2002	47	498	$7.1B
2001	42	469	$18.7B
2000	44	477	$12.8B
1999	50	907	$20.8B
1998	65	685	$25.2B
1997	44	600	$18.4B
1996	75	521	$14.2B

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), major disasters by first declaration date, weather incident types; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, deaths and damage (2025 dollars) by year. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How this was measured

Each disaster number counted once, in the calendar year of its first declaration date, by its declaration type: major disaster (DR), emergency (EM) or fire management assistance (FM). The COVID-19 declarations of 2020 are included as FEMA filed them.

Sources

FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026.

Limits

Declarations measure federal decisions, not the weather: the programs and thresholds behind them changed over the decades, so a rising count is not by itself evidence of more or worse disasters. The storm record (NOAA) is the measure of what happened; see a state or county page for both side by side.