Natural disaster risk in Harney County, Oregon
Oregon · population 7,472 · FIPS 41025
Overall: very low risk
Harney County has a composite risk score of 23.7 out of 100 — higher than 23% of US counties. It ranks 32 of 36 in Oregon (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are wildfire, landslide, avalanche.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 15 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3.97% of Harney County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 15 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Harney County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Very low 23.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $6.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 19.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 64.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 20.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Harney County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 95 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 74 |
| Avalanche | Relatively low 71 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 58 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 35 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 72 |
| Earthquake | Very low 31 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 28 |
| Heat wave | Very low 25 |
| Drought | Very low 19 |
| Ice storm | Very low 7 |
| Hail | Very low 3 |
| Cold wave | Very low 2 |
| Tornado | Very low 2 |
| Strong wind | Very low 1 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Harney County
Federal declarations that designated Harney County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Harney County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5512-OR (Falls Fire), declared 18 Jul 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5512-OR | Fire management | Falls Fire | 18 Jul 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Oregon, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Harney County, Oregon?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Harney County as very low, with a score of 23.7 out of 100 (higher than 23% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Harney County?
The hazards rated highest for Harney County are wildfire (relatively moderate), landslide (relatively low), avalanche (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Harney County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Harney County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Harney County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Harney County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5512-OR (Falls Fire), declared 18 Jul 2024.
Is Harney County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3.97% of Harney County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 15 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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