States with the highest disaster declarations

Nearly half of all U.S. states reported major disaster declarations in every county between 2011 and 2023, according to a study by Rebuild by Design. Johnson County, Kentucky led all counties in disaster declarations at 15, followed by Floyd and Washington Counties, Kentucky at 14 each, the data showed, with Lafourche Parish, Louisiana and Washington County, Vermont being the only counties outside Kentucky in the top 10 for disaster declarations. Meanwhile, total U.S. disasters between 2011 and 2023 accounted for $106.4 billion in federal post-disaster assistance from FEMA and HUD. Other key findings include:

• 72% of states experienced 10 or more major disaster declarations.
• 24 states had every county impacted by a major disaster declaration.
• States with the highest per capita post-disaster assistance spanning across both political affiliations are Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, North Dakota and Vermont.

Rebuild by Design said over 90% of congressional districts include a county that received a major disaster declaration for extreme weather between 2011 and 2023. At the same time, the average annual loss from global natural catastrophes is predicted to reach a record $151 billion over the next five years, with non-crop losses accounting for $119 billion of that total. During the previous five-year period, actual annual insured losses from natural catastrophes averaged $106 billion, the data showed, as severe thunderstorm activity dominated losses rather hurricanes and earthquakes. The slideshow above illustrates states with the highest disaster declarations as selected by Rebuild by Design.  See also:

• Helene's fatal floods show hurricane risk is moving inland
• Insured losses from Central European floods could hit €3.5 billion
• U.S. states at risk most of experiencing a severe hurricane