How many disasters are declared in the US?
Updated Apr. 29, 2026Refreshed monthly
On average, 125 disasters are declared per year. This figure is based on the most recent five full years of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) data.
A disaster declaration is more than just recognizing an event — it's a formal request for federal aid when state, local, or tribal resources are overwhelmed. The president approves these declarations when they determine that federal support is necessary.
Declarations vary due to the type and severity of disasters, whether the president approves requests for federal assistance, and other factors.
26
disasters have been declared in 2026 (January through March)
125
disasters declared yearly on average (2021–2025)
The primary two disaster declarations are major disaster and emergency.
- A major disaster declaration applies to hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, landslides, mudslides, droughts, explosions, and other severe natural events. These typically cause widespread damage requiring long-term recovery efforts.
- An emergency declaration is issued when the president determines federal assistance is needed to protect lives, property, or public health and safety. Aid is capped at $5 million and is for urgent crises. These can include public health emergencies (such as COVID-19), terrorist attacks, power outages, or events related to natural disasters.
A third type of declaration, fire management, applies to managing and suppressing either a single large blaze or multiple smaller fires. While fires can also be part of major disasters or emergencies, fire management is a separate category because the declaration process differs: instead of the longer timelines for other declarations, these expedited decisions are usually made within a few hours.
The president must approve all declarations. The federal aid available depends on what kind of disaster is declared. In most cases, governors request these declarations, though tribal nations may also submit requests independently.
26 disasters have been declared so far in 2026. This is higher than the 5-year average.
Cumulative disaster declarations by year, January 2021–March 2026
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What are the most common disasters in the US?
As of March 2026, the nation has declared disasters for 13 fires, 15 severe storms, and one flood.These disaster categories are among the most common in the US since FEMA was founded in 1979. The agency is responsible for coordinating the federal government's response to disaster declarations.
Since 1980, the most common disasters are:
- Fires, such as the Palisades fire that occurred in Los Angeles in January 2025. Fires have accounted for 1,682 (38.1%) of all disaster declarations, the highest of any disaster type.
- Severe storms, which typically include a combination of disaster declarations, such as straight-line winds, tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, and others. There have been 1,093 severe storm declarations, accounting for 24.7% of disasters.
- Floods, such as the Texas flash flood in July 2025. There have been 509 flood declarations, accounting for 11.5% of disasters.
- Hurricanes, such as Hurricane Helene in September 2024. There have been 406 hurricane declarations, accounting for 9.2% of disasters.
- Snowstorms, as in New York in December 2022. There have been 149 snowstorms declarations, accounting for 3.4% of disasters.
In that same time frame, there have been 4,417 total declarations across 27 disaster categories within disaster, emergency, and fire management declarations.
COVID-19 accounted for 164 biological emergency declarations in 2020. Why such a high number? Because states can have declarations both by the state and native American tribes for major disaster and emergency declarations.
Fire disasters are the most common disaster in the US.
Number of disaster declarations by disaster incident type, January 1980–March 2026
Which states have the most disasters?
The volume of emergency declarations varies by state. Two states have each declared more than 300 disasters since 1980: California (359 disasters) and Texas (353). That's over seven disasters per year, on average.Three other states — Oklahoma, Washington state, and Florida — each declared between 100 and 300 disasters in that time.
American Samoa declared 14 disasters, the fewest disasters of all territories and states in that time. Delaware declared the fewest disasters of all states: 23.
California has declared the most disasters since 1980.
Number of disaster declarations by state and disaster incident type, January 1980–March 2026
Number of disaster declarations, by state (1980 through March 2026)
| State | Number of disasters | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | California | 359 |
| 2. | Texas | 353 |
| 3. | Oklahoma | 235 |
| 4. | Washington state | 194 |
| 5. | Florida | 167 |
| 6. | Oregon | 146 |
| 7. | New Mexico | 113 |
| 8. | Arizona | 111 |
| 9. | Nevada | 100 |
| 10. | Colorado | 97 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
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USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
