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Miami-Dade County, FL

FEMA National Risk Index scores, disaster declarations & hazard data

Population: 2,698,679 · Cities: Miami , Hialeah , Miami Gardens , Homestead , Doral , Miami Beach , North Miami , Coral Gables , Cutler Bay , North Miami Beach , Aventura , Miami Lakes , Palmetto Bay , Hialeah Gardens , Sunny Isles Beach , Sweetwater , Pinecrest , Opa-locka , Key Biscayne , Miami Springs , South Miami , Florida City , Miami Shores

Miami-Dade County has experienced 43 federally declared disasters since 1965, most recently Hurricane Milton in 2025. Its overall natural hazard risk is rated Very High — among the most at-risk counties in the country.

Miami-Dade County's highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, and inland flooding, with its top risk rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded storm events have increased 21% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period. Community vulnerability is elevated (88th percentile nationally), suggesting residents may face greater difficulty recovering from major disasters.

Past disasters & FEMA designations

A federal disaster declaration officially designates a county for FEMA disaster assistance. Miami-Dade County has been designated in 43 declarations since 1965, covering 9 disaster types including hurricane (23), severe storm (5), freezing (5).

Showing the 10 most recent of 43 total declarations since 1965.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries. A single disaster can produce more than one record per county. Data current through September 2026.

Risk by hazard type

Scores are 0–100 percentiles relative to all US counties — higher means more exposed, not that a disaster is likely this year. Event counts: NOAA Storm Events 2016–2026; earthquake counts from USGS ComCat (M3.0+, 1996–2026). See the methodology page for details.

Community vulnerability

Miami-Dade County ranks in the 88th percentile (High) for community vulnerability — a measure of how hard disaster impacts tend to hit residents. Higher vulnerability means more displacement, worse health outcomes, and slower recovery after a disaster.

Source: CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022. Percentiles compare counties nationally — higher means more vulnerable relative to other counties. See CDC SVI for full methodology.

Future risk outlook

NOAA tracked 210 weather events in this county over 2016–2025: 95 in 2016–20 vs 115 in 2021–25 (+21% — frequency increasing).

Wildfire: USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities (RDS-2020-0016-2) — modeled values, not annual forecasts. See wildfirerisk.org. Inland flood and heat projections pending data availability; coastal sea-level projections are available for select coastal counties below — see the data page.

Sea level & coastal flooding

Measured at the Virginia Key NOAA tide gauge, the nearest long-term station to Miami-Dade County — not modeled, directly measured water levels.

Projected days per year of high-tide flooding, by NOAA's severity tiers based on how far water rises above the normal high tide: minor (road closures, stormwater backup — disruptive, not damaging), moderate (can damage homes and businesses), and major (threat to life and property, often requires evacuation).

Projected flood days per year under NOAA's intermediate emissions scenario — the 2022 interagency Sea Level Rise Technical Report, the same federal dataset commercial climate-risk products are built on. Low/high scenario range and monthly detail: NOAA Tides & Currents.