FEMA declarations
396
Very high volume
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
California Natural Disasters
California sits among the states with the heaviest federal disaster burden. 396 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by fire, with $22.3B in combined property and crop damage. That cumulative volume does not isolate physical hazard frequency from declaration policy, program use, or population exposure. NOAA storm event data shows 23,694 recorded weather events resulting in 690 fatalities, a toll that informs where the state directs disaster-preparedness resources.
- 396
- FEMA declarations
- 23,694
- NOAA storm events
- 690
- Storm fatalities
- $22.3B
- Property + crop damage
The California risk picture
31 of the 58 counties FEMA scores, 53%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with earthquake the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. California has 116 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 1,394 injuries statewide.
- 53%
- of counties rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 396
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $22.3B
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 53,261
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide
FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.
Major Disaster share
29%
Mixed major share
NOAA storm events
23,694
Observed severe-weather records
How does California compare?
California vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
396 Top 2% higher than 98% of 59 states and territories
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. 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
California county risk-score spread
FEMA National Risk Index composite scores, 0–100
88.7 29th percentile higher than 29% of 58 county composite scores
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more county composite scores. 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 National Risk Index (NRI), county composite scores · 2026-08-25
The declaration chart counts past federal actions. The county score chart summarizes FEMA's modeled National Risk Index composite; it is not a forecast, and a state average does not describe every county.
Do more storms mean more federal disasters?
California sits at the 98th percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 93rd percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.
FEMA declaration rank vs NOAA storm-event rank
Read the chart, every state as text
Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.
| State | FEMA decls | FEMA %ile | NOAA storms | NOAA %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 396 | 98 | 23,694 | 93 |
| Texas | 389 | 96 | 53,309 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 258 | 95 | 23,896 | 95 |
| Washington | 215 | 93 | 4,408 | 22 |
| Florida | 188 | 91 | 12,838 | 55 |
| Oregon | 169 | 89 | 3,695 | 20 |
| New Mexico | 126 | 87 | 10,974 | 45 |
| Arizona | 120 | 85 | 9,541 | 38 |
| New York | 118 | 84 | 21,653 | 82 |
| Montana | 112 | 82 | 13,576 | 56 |
| Colorado | 111 | 78 | 18,340 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 111 | 78 | 11,204 | 47 |
| Nevada | 110 | 76 | 4,534 | 24 |
| Alabama | 102 | 75 | 14,583 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 98 | 71 | 19,947 | 78 |
| Mississippi | 98 | 71 | 14,100 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 97 | 69 | 16,645 | 69 |
| South Dakota | 96 | 67 | 22,759 | 87 |
| Alaska | 94 | 64 | 2,683 | 15 |
| Kansas | 94 | 64 | 25,115 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 87 | 60 | 13,637 | 58 |
| Nebraska | 87 | 60 | 20,136 | 80 |
| Missouri | 86 | 58 | 22,952 | 89 |
| North Carolina | 85 | 56 | 16,367 | 67 |
| West Virginia | 84 | 55 | 12,026 | 49 |
| Georgia | 81 | 51 | 16,676 | 71 |
| Minnesota | 81 | 51 | 19,109 | 75 |
| Iowa | 78 | 49 | 21,883 | 84 |
| Virginia | 77 | 47 | 23,584 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 45 | 10,818 | 44 |
| Hawaii | 72 | 44 | 6,200 | 31 |
| Maine | 71 | 42 | 4,781 | 27 |
| Illinois | 68 | 40 | 22,088 | 85 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 38 | 19,427 | 76 |
| New Hampshire | 63 | 36 | 2,547 | 11 |
| Vermont | 62 | 35 | 3,449 | 18 |
| Idaho | 60 | 31 | 5,142 | 29 |
| Ohio | 60 | 31 | 16,184 | 65 |
| Massachusetts | 59 | 25 | 6,781 | 33 |
| New Jersey | 59 | 25 | 8,218 | 35 |
| Utah | 59 | 25 | 4,578 | 25 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 24 | 13,807 | 60 |
| Indiana | 54 | 22 | 12,687 | 53 |
| Puerto Rico | 51 | 18 | 2,944 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 51 | 18 | 10,520 | 42 |
| Michigan | 46 | 16 | 9,052 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 15 | 12,494 | 51 |
| Connecticut | 43 | 13 | 2,622 | 13 |
| Maryland | 38 | 11 | 10,290 | 40 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 33 | 9 | 88 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 31 | 7 | 924 | 7 |
| Delaware | 26 | 5 | 1,475 | 9 |
| Guam | 25 | 4 | 258 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 2 | 452 | 5 |
| American Samoa | 17 | 0 | 292 | 4 |
What shapes California's record?
FEMA declaration types in California
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Fire
Fire
298 declarations
- Flood 41
Flood
41 declarations
- Severe Storm 23
Severe Storm
23 declarations
- Earthquake 14
Earthquake
14 declarations
- Hurricane 3
Hurricane
3 declarations
- Freezing 3
Freezing
3 declarations
- Dam/Levee Break 3
Dam/Levee Break
3 declarations
- Biological 2
Biological
2 declarations
What this shows Fire leads California's FEMA declaration mix with 298 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year in California
Reported severe-weather events, 2015-2025 catalog window
Peak year in this series: 2023 (3,148 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
100 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
California · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . 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
396 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (4.5x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Very High
25/25
23694 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (2.2x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) Very High
25/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (38.7x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
16 different disaster types declared in California
What does California's hazard record show?
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 56California counties have filed 53,261 NFIP claims totaling $757.2M, or an average of $14.2K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Earthquake, estimated at $14.9B annually. Drill into individual counties for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, California recorded 23,694 individual storm events, causing 690 fatalities and 1,394 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $22.3B. The most frequent event types in the state are High Wind (4,070 events), Flood (3,132 events), Heavy Snow (1,814 events). Across the 58counties FEMA scores here, its National Risk Index flags 31 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 88.7/100.
What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.
FEMA disaster declarations
California (CA) has a very high level of federal declaration activity, with 396 FEMA declaration records, including 116 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Fire, followed by Flood (41), Severe Storm (23), Earthquake (14). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.
Disaster Types in California
Share of this state's FEMA declarations; the bar chart above is the same mix as counts.
Fire
75.3%
298 declarations
Flood
10.4%
41 declarations
Severe Storm
5.8%
23 declarations
Earthquake
3.5%
14 declarations
Hurricane
0.8%
3 declarations
Freezing
0.8%
3 declarations
Dam/Levee Break
0.8%
3 declarations
Biological
0.5%
2 declarations
Coastal Storm
0.5%
2 declarations
Drought
0.3%
1 declarations
Fishing Losses
0.3%
1 declarations
Winter Storm
0.3%
1 declarations
Tsunami
0.3%
1 declarations
Chemical
0.3%
1 declarations
Tropical Storm
0.3%
1 declarations
Other
0.3%
1 declarations
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for California (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,070 | 13 | 27 | $228.2M |
| Flood | 3,132 | 26 | 25 | $985.1M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,814 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Dense Fog | 1,605 | 52 | 148 | $2.8M |
| Drought | 1,421 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Excessive Heat | 1,408 | 48 | 141 | $7.5M |
| Strong Wind | 1,399 | 39 | 42 | $15.5M |
| Flash Flood | 1,331 | 23 | 25 | $987.7M |
| Heavy Rain | 1,270 | 6 | 5 | $87.0M |
| Winter Weather | 1,120 | 7 | 7 | $369.0K |
| Heat | 785 | 31 | 128 | $0 |
| Frost/Freeze | 781 | 0 | 5 | $300.0K |
| Debris Flow | 621 | 27 | 173 | $656.9M |
| Wildfire | 577 | 243 | 491 | $19.0B |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 533 | 13 | 16 | $25.6M |
| Winter Storm | 494 | 5 | 3 | $15.7M |
| Hail | 355 | 1 | 25 | $20.6M |
| High Surf | 214 | 38 | 33 | $8.4M |
| Funnel Cloud | 146 | 0 | 0 | $20 |
| Dust Storm | 116 | 4 | 26 | $1.0M |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,689 | 97 | 51 | $69.8M |
| 2024 | 2,588 | 79 | 123 | $142.3M |
| 2023 | 3,148 | 41 | 56 | $1.0B |
| 2022 | 2,832 | 43 | 112 | $86.2M |
| 2021 | 2,820 | 41 | 47 | $298.3M |
| 2020 | 1,828 | 65 | 259 | $41.5M |
| 2019 | 2,753 | 61 | 129 | $144.1M |
| 2018 | 1,674 | 156 | 401 | $19.2B |
| 2017 | 1,889 | 56 | 111 | $866.9M |
| 2016 | 1,330 | 28 | 48 | $74.2M |
| 2015 | 1,143 | 23 | 57 | $108.5M |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 396 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 396 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
396 unique disaster declarations in California.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5652 | DOVE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-07-26 |
| 3646 | CHEMICAL RELEASE | EM | Chemical | 2026-05-25 |
| 5636 | BAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-05-20 |
| 5635 | SANDY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-05-18 |
| 5612 | 2-7 FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-09-03 |
| 5605 | CANYON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-08-08 |
| 5551 | HURST FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-01-08 |
| 5550 | EATON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-01-08 |
| 4856 | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Fire | 2025-01-08 |
| 5549 | PALISADES FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-01-07 |
| 5548 | FRANKLIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-12-10 |
| 5545 | MOUNTAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-11-06 |
| 5538 | AIRPORT FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-09-11 |
| 5537 | BRIDGE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-09-11 |
| 5536 | BOYLES FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-09-08 |
| 5535 | LINE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-09-07 |
| 5522 | BOREL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-27 |
| 5519 | PARK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-25 |
| 5515 | HAWARDEN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-21 |
| 5503 | FRENCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-05 |
| 5502 | THOMPSON FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-02 |
| 4772 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-19 |
| 4773 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-19 |
| 4769 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-13 |
| 4758 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-02-19 |
| 4750 | TROPICAL STORM HILARY | DR | Hurricane | 2023-11-21 |
| 4746 | TROPICAL STORM HILARY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2023-10-18 |
| 4743 | TROPICAL STORM HILARY | DR | Hurricane | 2023-09-27 |
| 4714 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-05-25 |
| 4713 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-05-18 |
| 4707 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Winter Storm | 2023-04-25 |
| 4699 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-03 |
| 3592 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-03-10 |
| 4692 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2023-03-08 |
| 4683 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-01-14 |
| 3591 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-01-09 |
| 5453 | MOSQUITO FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-09-09 |
| 5451 | FAIRVIEW FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-09-06 |
| 5450 | MILL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-09-02 |
| 5445 | OAK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-07-23 |
| 5439 | COASTAL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-05-12 |
| 5419 | ALISAL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-10-13 |
| 5417 | FAWN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-09-23 |
| 4619 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2021-09-12 |
| 3571 | CALDOR FIRE | EM | Fire | 2021-09-01 |
| 5416 | FRENCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-25 |
| 4610 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2021-08-24 |
| 5413 | CALDOR FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-17 |
| 5412 | MONUMENT FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-17 |
| 5405 | RIVER FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-05 |
Showing 50 of 396 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for California counties based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
88.7/100
High Risk Counties
31
of 58 counties
Top Hazard by EAL
Earthquake
$14.9B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Earthquake
$14.9B EAL
#2
Riverine Flooding
$11.7B EAL
#3
Wildfire
$1.8B EAL
#4
Drought
$1.0B EAL
#5
Heat Wave
$378.3M EAL
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
National Flood Insurance Program claims across California from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
53,261
Total Paid
$757.2M
Avg Per Claim
$14.2K
Counties With Claims
56
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties in California
58 counties with FEMA disaster data. Declaration counts measure past federal action; NRI rating is FEMA's modeled composite, so a high count is not a high rating.
| # | County | Disasters | NRI rating | Major |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles County | 88 | Very High | 35 |
| 2 | Riverside County | 66 | Very High | 31 |
| 3 | San Bernardino County | 61 | Very High | 30 |
| 4 | Ventura County | 53 | Relatively High | 29 |
| 5 | San Diego County | 51 | Very High | 27 |
| 6 | Santa Barbara County | 43 | Relatively High | 27 |
| 7 | Orange County | 42 | Very High | 24 |
| 8 | Shasta County | 41 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 9 | Kern County | 40 | Relatively High | 19 |
| 10 | Napa County | 39 | Relatively High | 24 |
| 11 | Butte County | 39 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 12 | Sonoma County | 36 | Relatively High | 23 |
| 13 | Lake County | 35 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 14 | Santa Cruz County | 34 | Relatively High | 22 |
| 15 | Monterey County | 33 | Relatively High | 23 |
| 16 | Mendocino County | 33 | Relatively High | 25 |
| 17 | Trinity County | 32 | Relatively Low | 21 |
| 18 | Solano County | 30 | Relatively High | 22 |
| 19 | San Luis Obispo County | 28 | Relatively High | 22 |
| 20 | Yuba County | 28 | Relatively Low | 18 |
| 21 | Humboldt County | 27 | Relatively High | 22 |
| 22 | El Dorado County | 27 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 23 | Placer County | 26 | Relatively Moderate | 13 |
| 24 | Marin County | 26 | Relatively High | 22 |
| 25 | Santa Clara County | 25 | Very High | 16 |
| 26 | San Joaquin County | 25 | Relatively High | 19 |
| 27 | Madera County | 25 | Relatively High | 14 |
| 28 | Tehama County | 25 | Relatively Moderate | 17 |
| 29 | Alameda County | 24 | Very High | 20 |
| 30 | Mariposa County | 24 | Relatively Moderate | 10 |
| 31 | San Mateo County | 24 | Relatively High | 17 |
| 32 | Siskiyou County | 23 | Relatively Moderate | 14 |
| 33 | Sacramento County | 23 | Relatively High | 17 |
| 34 | Calaveras County | 23 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 35 | Tulare County | 23 | Relatively High | 15 |
| 36 | Plumas County | 23 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 37 | Nevada County | 23 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 38 | Tuolumne County | 22 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 39 | Yolo County | 22 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 40 | Contra Costa County | 21 | Very High | 16 |
| 41 | Glenn County | 21 | Relatively Low | 16 |
| 42 | Del Norte County | 21 | Relatively High | 18 |
| 43 | Amador County | 21 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 44 | Stanislaus County | 20 | Relatively High | 14 |
| 45 | Fresno County | 20 | Relatively High | 13 |
| 46 | Sutter County | 20 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 47 | Kings County | 19 | Relatively Moderate | 14 |
| 48 | Lassen County | 19 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 49 | Colusa County | 19 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 50 | Merced County | 19 | Relatively High | 14 |
| 51 | San Benito County | 18 | Relatively Moderate | 13 |
| 52 | Modoc County | 17 | Very Low | 13 |
| 53 | Inyo County | 16 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 54 | Sierra County | 16 | Very Low | 12 |
| 55 | Imperial County | 15 | Relatively High | 12 |
| 56 | Alpine County | 15 | Very Low | 10 |
| 57 | Mono County | 14 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 58 | San Francisco County | 11 | Very High | 7 |
Highest-risk counties by FEMA National Risk Index
Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in California are Los Angeles (Very High), Riverside (Very High), San Bernardino (Very High), Orange (Very High), Alameda (Very High). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 58 counties in California are listed above.
Compare beyond this profile
Nationwide states with similar NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for California: nearest states by average county National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar average NRI composite
Nearest states by mean county FEMA NRI score. California: 88.7 across 58 scored counties.
Similar declaration volume
Nearest states by FEMA declaration count. California: 396. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.
Hazard Risk by Region
How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.
Climate Change & Disasters
How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect California?
California is affected by fire, flood, severe storm, earthquake. Topping the list is Fire, based on 396 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has California had?
California has received 396 FEMA disaster declarations, including 116 major disaster declarations. The declaration history covers several disaster types, including Fire (298), Flood (41), Severe Storm (23).
What severe weather events are most common in California?
The most common severe weather events in California include high wind (4,070 events), flood (3,132 events), heavy snow (1,814 events). Between 2015 and 2025, NOAA recorded these events causing 690 fatalities and $22.3B in property and crop damage.
How active is California's federal disaster declaration record?
California has a very high level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 396 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 690 fatalities and 1,394 injuries. NOAA property and crop damage records total $22.3B.
How many flood insurance claims has California had?
California has 53,261 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $757.2M total paid out. Claims average $14.2K, with 56 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties in California have the most disaster declarations?
Among 58 counties in California, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Los Angeles (88 declarations), Riverside (66 declarations), San Bernardino (61 declarations). Breaking the declarations down by county reveals patterns a statewide total can mask.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for California
Los Angeles alone accounts for 22% of California's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 58 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Los Angeles and Riverside carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how California ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
- Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-25. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.