Natural disaster risk in Wasco County, Oregon
Oregon · population 26,599 · FIPS 41065
Overall: relatively low risk
Wasco County has a composite risk score of 67.8 out of 100 — higher than 67% of US counties. It ranks 22 of 36 in Oregon (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are wildfire, ice storm, volcanic activity.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 11 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3% of Wasco County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 11 weeks in a row. In all, 71.71% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Wasco 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. |
Relatively low 67.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $28.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 71.4 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 28.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 44.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Wasco County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively high 98 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 84 |
| Volcanic activity | Relatively low 91 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 82 |
| Avalanche | Relatively low 73 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 59 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 43 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 42 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 40 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 38 |
| Landslide | Very low 55 |
| Drought | Very low 17 |
| Hail | Very low 16 |
| Strong wind | Very low 15 |
| Tornado | Very low 4 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Wasco County
Federal declarations that designated Wasco County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Wasco County has been named in 6 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5648-OR (Grasshopper Fire), declared 25 Jul 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5648-OR | Fire management | Grasshopper Fire | 25 Jul 2026 | No |
| DR-4907-OR | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 7 Apr 2026 | No |
| FM-5587-OR | Fire management | Rowena Fire | 11 Jun 2025 | No |
| DR-4854-OR | Major disaster | Wildfires | 1 Jan 2025 | No |
| FM-5506-OR | Fire management | Larch Creek Fire | 11 Jul 2024 | No |
| DR-4768-OR | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Landslides, and Mudslides | 13 Apr 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 Wasco County, Oregon?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Wasco County as relatively low, with a score of 67.8 out of 100 (higher than 67% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Wasco County?
The hazards rated highest for Wasco County are wildfire (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high), volcanic activity (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Wasco County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Wasco County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Wasco County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Wasco County has been named in 6 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5648-OR (Grasshopper Fire), declared 25 Jul 2026.
Is Wasco County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 3% of Wasco County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 11 weeks in a row. In all, 71.71% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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