FEMA declarations
81
Above median
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Georgia Natural Disasters
Georgia's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 81 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by severe storm, with $8.2B in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 16,676 recorded weather events resulting in 134 fatalities, figures the state uses to prioritize disaster-preparedness planning.
- 81
- FEMA declarations
- 16,676
- NOAA storm events
- 134
- Storm fatalities
- $8.2B
- Property + crop damage
The Georgia risk picture
4 of the 159 counties FEMA scores, 3%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with riverine flooding the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. Georgia has 51 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 614 injuries statewide.
- 3%
- of counties rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 81
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $8.2B
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 24,375
- 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
63%
Major-heavy
NOAA storm events
16,676
Observed severe-weather records
How does Georgia compare?
Georgia vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
81 Top 46% higher than 54% 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
Georgia county risk-score spread
FEMA National Risk Index composite scores, 0–100
39.5 Top 47% higher than 53% of 159 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?
Georgia sits at the 51st percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 71st 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 Georgia's record?
FEMA declaration types in Georgia
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Severe Storm
Severe Storm
17 declarations
- Hurricane
Hurricane
16 declarations
- Fire
Fire
14 declarations
- Tornado
Tornado
13 declarations
- Flood
Flood
9 declarations
- Tropical Storm 3
Tropical Storm
3 declarations
- Severe Ice Storm 3
Severe Ice Storm
3 declarations
- Biological 2
Biological
2 declarations
What this shows Severe Storm leads Georgia's FEMA declaration mix with 17 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year in Georgia
Reported severe-weather events, 2015-2025 catalog window
Peak year in this series: 2023 (2,708 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
78 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Georgia · 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) Moderate
14/30
81 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.9x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Very High
19/25
16676 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (1.5x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) Very High
25/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (14.1x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
12 different disaster types declared in Georgia
What does Georgia's hazard record show?
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, Georgia recorded 16,676 individual storm events, causing 134 fatalities and 614 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $8.2B. The most frequent event types in the state are Thunderstorm Wind (9,617 events), Drought (1,363 events), Hail (1,257 events). Across the 159counties FEMA scores here, its National Risk Index flags 4 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 39.5/100.
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
Georgia (GA) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 81 FEMA declaration records, including 51 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 Severe Storm, followed by Hurricane (16), Fire (14), Tornado (13). 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.
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 142Georgia counties have filed 24,375 NFIP claims totaling $519.4M, or an average of $21.3K 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 Riverine Flooding, estimated at $1.6B 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.
Disaster Types in Georgia
Share of this state's FEMA declarations; the bar chart above is the same mix as counts.
Severe Storm
21.0%
17 declarations
Hurricane
19.8%
16 declarations
Fire
17.3%
14 declarations
Tornado
16.0%
13 declarations
Flood
11.1%
9 declarations
Tropical Storm
3.7%
3 declarations
Severe Ice Storm
3.7%
3 declarations
Biological
2.5%
2 declarations
Winter Storm
1.2%
1 declarations
Drought
1.2%
1 declarations
Snowstorm
1.2%
1 declarations
Freezing
1.2%
1 declarations
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for Georgia (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 9,617 | 15 | 75 | $65.4M |
| Drought | 1,363 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Hail | 1,257 | 0 | 0 | $61.8M |
| Flash Flood | 1,154 | 0 | 3 | $29.3M |
| Tropical Storm | 655 | 28 | 19 | $855.3M |
| Tornado | 637 | 37 | 378 | $389.2M |
| Winter Storm | 396 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Weather | 355 | 2 | 3 | $0 |
| Flood | 227 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| Lightning | 185 | 8 | 23 | $7.0M |
| Heavy Rain | 157 | 3 | 1 | $307.0K |
| Strong Wind | 126 | 6 | 10 | $2.3M |
| Excessive Heat | 100 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Coastal Flood | 66 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 62 | 14 | 91 | $2.4B |
| Heavy Snow | 53 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Rip Current | 40 | 9 | 4 | $0 |
| Funnel Cloud | 37 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| High Wind | 32 | 0 | 0 | $120.0K |
| Frost/Freeze | 28 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,697 | 3 | 5 | $3.9M |
| 2024 | 1,670 | 35 | 102 | $1.6B |
| 2023 | 2,708 | 11 | 126 | $44.5M |
| 2022 | 1,106 | 11 | 41 | $4.3M |
| 2021 | 847 | 4 | 33 | $39.1M |
| 2020 | 1,535 | 17 | 50 | $34.0M |
| 2019 | 1,158 | 4 | 20 | $20.9M |
| 2018 | 1,257 | 8 | 24 | $1.5B |
| 2017 | 1,679 | 21 | 165 | $449.2M |
| 2016 | 1,664 | 13 | 27 | $35.3M |
| 2015 | 1,355 | 7 | 21 | $33.5M |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 81 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 81 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
81 unique disaster declarations in Georgia.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5630 | HIGHWAY 82 FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-04-22 |
| 5629 | PINELAND ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-04-21 |
| 3642 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-24 |
| 4830 | HURRICANE HELENE | DR | Hurricane | 2024-09-30 |
| 3616 | HURRICANE HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-26 |
| 4821 | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-24 |
| 3607 | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-05 |
| 4738 | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR | Hurricane | 2023-09-07 |
| 4685 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-01-16 |
| 4600 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2021-05-05 |
| 4579 | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR | Hurricane | 2021-01-12 |
| 4501 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-29 |
| 3464 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3422 | HURRICANE DORIAN | EM | Hurricane | 2019-09-01 |
| 4400 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR | Hurricane | 2018-10-14 |
| 3406 | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM | Hurricane | 2018-10-10 |
| 4338 | HURRICANE IRMA | DR | Hurricane | 2017-09-15 |
| 3387 | HURRICANE IRMA | EM | Hurricane | 2017-09-08 |
| 5181 | WEST MIMS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2017-05-08 |
| 4297 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 2017-01-26 |
| 4294 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-01-25 |
| 5163 | TATUM GULF FIRE | FM | Fire | 2016-11-13 |
| 4284 | HURRICANE MATTHEW | DR | Hurricane | 2016-10-08 |
| 3379 | HURRICANE MATTHEW | EM | Hurricane | 2016-10-06 |
| 4259 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-02-26 |
| 4215 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2015-04-20 |
| 4165 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2014-03-06 |
| 3368 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2014-02-11 |
| 2921 | SWEAT FARM AGAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-06-16 |
| 2920 | RACEPOND WILDFIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-06-15 |
| 1973 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND ASSOCIATED FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-04-29 |
| 2876 | MOSLEY ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-03-25 |
| 2875 | ELAN CHURCH ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-03-25 |
| 1858 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-09-24 |
| 1833 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-04-23 |
| 1761 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-05-23 |
| 1750 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-03-20 |
| 2697 | HARVEYTOWN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-05-31 |
| 2693 | BUGABOO SCRUB FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-05-09 |
| 2688 | ROUNDABOUT FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-05-05 |
| 2686 | KNEEKNOCKER SWAMP FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-04-26 |
| 2685 | SWEAT FARM ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-04-17 |
| 1686 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-03-03 |
| 3218 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-05 |
| 1560 | TROPICAL STORM FRANCES | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-24 |
| 1554 | HURRICANE IVAN | DR | Hurricane | 2004-09-18 |
| 2362 | GA - BLOUNTS PASTURE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2001-05-23 |
| 1315 | SEVERE STORMS/TORNADOS | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-02-15 |
| 1311 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-01-28 |
| 3144 | HURRICANE FLOYD EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS | EM | Hurricane | 1999-09-14 |
Showing 50 of 81 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for Georgia counties based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
39.5/100
High Risk Counties
4
of 159 counties
Top Hazard by EAL
Riverine Flooding
$1.6B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Riverine Flooding
$1.6B EAL
#2
Hurricane
$524.5M EAL
#3
Tornado
$432.8M EAL
#4
Cold Wave
$212.8M EAL
#5
Earthquake
$164.7M 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 Georgia from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
24,375
Total Paid
$519.4M
Avg Per Claim
$21.3K
Counties With Claims
142
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties in Georgia
159 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 | Ware County | 24 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 2 | Lumpkin County | 23 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 3 | Brantley County | 23 | Very Low | 10 |
| 4 | Toombs County | 23 | Very Low | 12 |
| 5 | Tattnall County | 23 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 6 | McIntosh County | 22 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 7 | Carroll County | 22 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 8 | Pickens County | 22 | Very Low | 14 |
| 9 | Candler County | 22 | Very Low | 11 |
| 10 | Emanuel County | 22 | Very Low | 11 |
| 11 | Upson County | 22 | Very Low | 13 |
| 12 | Bulloch County | 22 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 13 | Coffee County | 21 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 14 | Montgomery County | 21 | Very Low | 11 |
| 15 | Monroe County | 21 | Very Low | 12 |
| 16 | Habersham County | 21 | Very Low | 13 |
| 17 | White County | 21 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 18 | Jenkins County | 21 | Very Low | 11 |
| 19 | Fulton County | 21 | Relatively High | 13 |
| 20 | Bryan County | 21 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 21 | Charlton County | 21 | Very Low | 7 |
| 22 | Screven County | 21 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 23 | Pike County | 21 | Very Low | 13 |
| 24 | Camden County | 21 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 25 | Rabun County | 21 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 26 | Jeff Davis County | 20 | Very Low | 11 |
| 27 | Dade County | 20 | Very Low | 11 |
| 28 | Appling County | 20 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 29 | Crawford County | 20 | Very Low | 11 |
| 30 | Burke County | 20 | Very Low | 10 |
| 31 | Colquitt County | 20 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 32 | Thomas County | 20 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 33 | Berrien County | 20 | Very Low | 12 |
| 34 | Brooks County | 20 | Very Low | 12 |
| 35 | Tift County | 20 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 36 | Clinch County | 20 | Very Low | 10 |
| 37 | Newton County | 20 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 38 | Gilmer County | 20 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 39 | Glynn County | 20 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 40 | Bartow County | 19 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 41 | Butts County | 19 | Very Low | 10 |
| 42 | Lamar County | 19 | Very Low | 11 |
| 43 | Paulding County | 19 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 44 | Dawson County | 19 | Very Low | 11 |
| 45 | Walker County | 19 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 46 | Cobb County | 19 | Relatively High | 11 |
| 47 | Hall County | 19 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 48 | Worth County | 19 | Very Low | 13 |
| 49 | Pierce County | 19 | Very Low | 9 |
| 50 | Heard County | 19 | Very Low | 12 |
| 51 | Cherokee County | 19 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 52 | Wayne County | 19 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 53 | Decatur County | 19 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 54 | Chatham County | 19 | Relatively High | 8 |
| 55 | Treutlen County | 19 | Very Low | 9 |
| 56 | Jefferson County | 19 | Very Low | 10 |
| 57 | Bacon County | 19 | Very Low | 10 |
| 58 | Johnson County | 19 | Very Low | 10 |
| 59 | Atkinson County | 19 | Very Low | 10 |
| 60 | Echols County | 19 | Very Low | 10 |
| 61 | Floyd County | 19 | Relatively Moderate | 10 |
| 62 | Laurens County | 19 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 63 | Baker County | 19 | Very Low | 13 |
| 64 | Wheeler County | 18 | Very Low | 9 |
| 65 | Douglas County | 18 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 66 | Lowndes County | 18 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 67 | Cook County | 18 | Very Low | 10 |
| 68 | Long County | 18 | Very Low | 8 |
| 69 | Mitchell County | 18 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 70 | Stephens County | 18 | Very Low | 10 |
| 71 | Spalding County | 18 | Very Low | 11 |
| 72 | Liberty County | 18 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 73 | Wilcox County | 18 | Very Low | 10 |
| 74 | Telfair County | 18 | Very Low | 8 |
| 75 | Fannin County | 18 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 76 | Gordon County | 18 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 77 | Dooly County | 17 | Very Low | 10 |
| 78 | Grady County | 17 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 79 | Peach County | 17 | Very Low | 8 |
| 80 | Catoosa County | 17 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 81 | Effingham County | 17 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 82 | Twiggs County | 17 | Very Low | 9 |
| 83 | Houston County | 17 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 84 | Jones County | 17 | Very Low | 9 |
| 85 | Dougherty County | 17 | Relatively Moderate | 12 |
| 86 | Forsyth County | 17 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 87 | DeKalb County | 17 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 88 | Dodge County | 17 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 89 | Banks County | 17 | Very Low | 9 |
| 90 | Wilkes County | 17 | Very Low | 9 |
| 91 | Crisp County | 17 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 92 | Lanier County | 17 | Very Low | 9 |
| 93 | Evans County | 17 | Very Low | 8 |
| 94 | Haralson County | 17 | Very Low | 9 |
| 95 | Jasper County | 17 | Very Low | 9 |
| 96 | Meriwether County | 17 | Very Low | 10 |
| 97 | Polk County | 17 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 98 | Greene County | 16 | Very Low | 8 |
| 99 | Webster County | 16 | Very Low | 9 |
| 100 | Pulaski County | 16 | Very Low | 9 |
| 101 | Elbert County | 16 | Very Low | 7 |
| 102 | Whitfield County | 16 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 103 | Washington County | 16 | Very Low | 7 |
| 104 | Wilkinson County | 16 | Very Low | 8 |
| 105 | Bleckley County | 16 | Very Low | 7 |
| 106 | Franklin County | 16 | Very Low | 8 |
| 107 | Rockdale County | 16 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 108 | Bibb County | 16 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 109 | Turner County | 16 | Very Low | 10 |
| 110 | Union County | 16 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 111 | Talbot County | 16 | Very Low | 9 |
| 112 | Taliaferro County | 16 | Very Low | 8 |
| 113 | Henry County | 16 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 114 | Stewart County | 16 | Very Low | 9 |
| 115 | Murray County | 15 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 116 | McDuffie County | 15 | Very Low | 6 |
| 117 | Hancock County | 15 | Very Low | 7 |
| 118 | Oglethorpe County | 15 | Very Low | 7 |
| 119 | Early County | 15 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 120 | Richmond County | 15 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 121 | Ben Hill County | 15 | Very Low | 7 |
| 122 | Chattooga County | 15 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 123 | Macon County | 15 | Very Low | 8 |
| 124 | Putnam County | 15 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 125 | Taylor County | 15 | Very Low | 8 |
| 126 | Clayton County | 15 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 127 | Coweta County | 15 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 128 | Harris County | 14 | Very Low | 8 |
| 129 | Madison County | 14 | Very Low | 7 |
| 130 | Towns County | 14 | Very Low | 7 |
| 131 | Lee County | 14 | Very Low | 8 |
| 132 | Clay County | 14 | Very Low | 9 |
| 133 | Jackson County | 14 | Very Low | 6 |
| 134 | Baldwin County | 14 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 135 | Miller County | 14 | Very Low | 8 |
| 136 | Columbia County | 14 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 137 | Gwinnett County | 14 | Relatively High | 6 |
| 138 | Irwin County | 14 | Very Low | 7 |
| 139 | Hart County | 14 | Very Low | 6 |
| 140 | Fayette County | 14 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 141 | Barrow County | 14 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 142 | Sumter County | 14 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 143 | Troup County | 14 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 144 | Calhoun County | 14 | Very Low | 9 |
| 145 | Clarke County | 13 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 146 | Walton County | 13 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 147 | Marion County | 13 | Very Low | 6 |
| 148 | Warren County | 13 | Very Low | 5 |
| 149 | Oconee County | 13 | Very Low | 4 |
| 150 | Glascock County | 13 | Very Low | 5 |
| 151 | Morgan County | 13 | Very Low | 5 |
| 152 | Muscogee County | 13 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 153 | Lincoln County | 13 | Very Low | 5 |
| 154 | Schley County | 12 | Very Low | 5 |
| 155 | Randolph County | 12 | Very Low | 7 |
| 156 | Seminole County | 12 | Very Low | 6 |
| 157 | Chattahoochee County | 11 | Very Low | 4 |
| 158 | Quitman County | 11 | Very Low | 6 |
| 159 | Terrell County | 10 | Very Low | 5 |
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 Georgia are Chatham (Relatively High), Fulton (Relatively High), Gwinnett (Relatively High), Cobb (Relatively High), DeKalb (Relatively Moderate). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 159 counties in Georgia are listed above.
Compare beyond this profile
Nationwide states with similar NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Georgia: 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. Georgia: 39.5 across 159 scored counties.
Similar declaration volume
Nearest states by FEMA declaration count. Georgia: 81. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect Georgia?
Georgia is affected by severe storm, hurricane, fire, tornado. Topping the list is Severe Storm, based on 81 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Georgia had?
Georgia has received 81 FEMA disaster declarations, including 51 major disaster declarations. That total is spread across disaster types including Severe Storm (17), Hurricane (16), Fire (14).
What severe weather events are most common in Georgia?
The most common severe weather events in Georgia include thunderstorm wind (9,617 events), drought (1,363 events), hail (1,257 events). Between 2015 and 2025, NOAA recorded these events causing 134 fatalities and $8.2B in property and crop damage.
How active is Georgia's federal disaster declaration record?
Georgia has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 81 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 134 fatalities and 614 injuries. NOAA property and crop damage records total $8.2B.
How many flood insurance claims has Georgia had?
Georgia has 24,375 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $519.4M total paid out. Claims average $21.3K, with 142 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties in Georgia have the most disaster declarations?
Among 159 counties in Georgia, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Ware (24 declarations), Lumpkin (23 declarations), Brantley (23 declarations). County-level records show where federal declarations have concentrated across the state.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for Georgia
Ware alone accounts for 30% of Georgia's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 159 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Ware and Lumpkin carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how Georgia 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.