Disaster Data / States / Massachusetts / Essex County
CountyEssex County recorded 26 federal disaster and emergency declarations since FY2000 (through FY2025): 13 major disasters, 13 emergencies, and 0 fire-management declarations. Its most common hazard is severe storm.
Highlighted: Essex County, MA
Totals: FY2000–FY2025 · Page last rebuilt Sep 12, 2026 · the current in-progress fiscal year is not included in totals
The federal disaster record for Essex County runs between 2001 and 2023, covering 26 declarations in all. Its most recent major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020. The hazards behind these declarations were most often severe storm, snowstorm, and hurricane. Since 2000, FEMA has obligated about $136.2 million in Public Assistance funding to the jurisdiction, most of it for emergency protective measures.
Historical declarations show what has happened here. These national datasets add context about underlying natural-hazard risk and community vulnerability.
Approximately 60.6% of U.S. counties have an equal or lower overall SVI ranking.
Higher percentiles indicate greater relative social vulnerability within the CDC SVI framework. CDC SVI documentation
The NRI combines expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience to describe relative natural-hazard risk. FEMA NRI documentation
Federal share obligated to this jurisdiction under FEMA Public Assistance since 2000, grouped by damage category. Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar and reflect obligations, which may change as projects close out.
| Category | Projects | Federal share obligated |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency protective measures(B) | 1,051 | $101,898,522 |
| Parks and recreation(G) | 135 | $16,919,429 |
| Roads and bridges(C) | 233 | $4,411,453 |
| Buildings and equipment(E) | 104 | $3,659,822 |
| Debris removal(A) | 123 | $2,896,569 |
| Water control facilities(D) | 21 | $2,448,766 |
| Utilities(F) | 70 | $2,442,483 |
| Management costs(Z) | 44 | $1,537,267 |
| All categories | 1,781 | $136,214,311 |
For each disaster, the wait from the declaration to the first federal obligation (amber), then the federal share obligating after that (teal), on a shared 14-year scale. Typical wait to the first obligation here: about 120 days. An obligation is the federal share committed to the recipient state, not funds disbursed to the locality, which comes later and is not shown.
Federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance obligated to this jurisdiction to reduce future disaster losses, across the FEMA mitigation programs. This is the record of past mitigation investment a local hazard mitigation plan documents. Figures are federal share obligated, reported through OpenFEMA and not audited, and are separate from the Public Assistance funding above.
| Program | Projects | Federal share obligated |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard Mitigation Grant Program(HMGP) | 50 | $59,617,421 |
| Pre-Disaster Mitigation(PDM) | 10 | $5,230,499 |
| Legislative Pre-Disaster Mitigation(LPDM) | 2 | $2,349,993 |
| Flood Mitigation Assistance(FMA) | 5 | $515,319 |
Every local hazard mitigation plan must document previous occurrences of each hazard. Here is that record for Essex County, sourced to OpenFEMA and refreshed weekly. Copy it straight into your plan.
| Hazard | Date | FEMA declaration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Sep 15, 2023 | EM-3599-MA | EM |
| Biological | Mar 27, 2020 | DR-4496-MA | DR |
| Biological | Mar 13, 2020 | EM-3438-MA | EM |
| Snowstorm | Jul 19, 2018 | DR-4379-MA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Jun 25, 2018 | DR-4372-MA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Apr 13, 2015 | DR-4214-MA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Apr 19, 2013 | DR-4110-MA | DR |
| Hurricane | Oct 28, 2012 | EM-3350-MA | EM |
| Severe Storm | Nov 1, 2011 | EM-3343-MA | EM |
| Hurricane | Aug 26, 2011 | EM-3330-MA | EM |
| Snowstorm | Mar 7, 2011 | DR-1959-MA | DR |
| Hurricane | Sep 2, 2010 | EM-3315-MA | EM |
| Other | May 3, 2010 | EM-3312-MA | EM |
| Severe Storm | Mar 29, 2010 | DR-1895-MA | DR |
| Severe Ice Storm | Jan 5, 2009 | DR-1813-MA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Dec 13, 2008 | EM-3296-MA | EM |
| Severe Storm | May 16, 2007 | DR-1701-MA | DR |
| Severe Storm | May 25, 2006 | DR-1642-MA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Nov 10, 2005 | DR-1614-MA | DR |
| Hurricane | Sep 13, 2005 | EM-3252-MA | EM |
| Snowstorm | Feb 17, 2005 | EM-3201-MA | EM |
| Flood | Apr 21, 2004 | DR-1512-MA | DR |
| Snowstorm | Jan 15, 2004 | EM-3191-MA | EM |
| Snowstorm | Mar 11, 2003 | EM-3175-MA | EM |
| Severe Storm | Apr 10, 2001 | DR-1364-MA | DR |
| Snowstorm | Mar 28, 2001 | EM-3165-MA | EM |
DR = Major disaster (Stafford Act) · EM = Emergency declaration · FM = Fire management assistance
Showing 26 declarations
| Date | Number | Type | Hazard | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2023 | EM-3599-MA | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Lee |
| Mar 27, 2020 | DR-4496-MA | DR | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| Mar 13, 2020 | EM-3438-MA | EM | Biological | Covid-19 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | DR-4379-MA | DR | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm |
| Jun 25, 2018 | DR-4372-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Flooding |
| Apr 13, 2015 | DR-4214-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding |
| Apr 19, 2013 | DR-4110-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding |
| Oct 28, 2012 | EM-3350-MA | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| Nov 1, 2011 | EM-3343-MA | EM | Severe Storm | Severe Storm |
| Aug 26, 2011 | EM-3330-MA | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| Mar 7, 2011 | DR-1959-MA | DR | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm |
| Sep 2, 2010 | EM-3315-MA | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Earl |
| May 3, 2010 | EM-3312-MA | EM | Other | Water Main Break |
| Mar 29, 2010 | DR-1895-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Jan 5, 2009 | DR-1813-MA | DR | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Flooding |
| Dec 13, 2008 | EM-3296-MA | EM | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| May 16, 2007 | DR-1701-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding |
| May 25, 2006 | DR-1642-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Nov 10, 2005 | DR-1614-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Sep 13, 2005 | EM-3252-MA | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| Feb 17, 2005 | EM-3201-MA | EM | Snowstorm | Record And/Or Near Record Snow |
| Apr 21, 2004 | DR-1512-MA | DR | Flood | Flooding |
| Jan 15, 2004 | EM-3191-MA | EM | Snowstorm | Snow |
| Mar 11, 2003 | EM-3175-MA | EM | Snowstorm | Snow |
| Apr 10, 2001 | DR-1364-MA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Mar 28, 2001 | EM-3165-MA | EM | Snowstorm | Snow |
Drawn from FEMA's OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, rebuilt each week. A declaration is counted here once for each designated area it names, so a single disaster covering many localities is counted in each one. For that reason these jurisdiction counts do not sum to Massachusetts's statewide total. This page counts declarations that named this jurisdiction as a designated area. Totals cover complete fiscal years (Oct 1 to Sep 30); the in-progress year may appear in the most-recent list but is not counted in the totals. Uses OpenFEMA data but is not endorsed by or affiliated with FEMA.
Choose a citation style, then copy the formatted citation. This profile is derived from FEMA OpenFEMA data and is updated as the underlying Disaster Data build is refreshed.