After years of hearing about how the number of disaster declarations has been rising, 2014 had the lowest number of declared disasters and fire assistance grants in at least 14 years. FEMA reported that 45 major disaster declarations were made by the president in 2014. And six emergency declarations, which are issued in advance of an event, were declared. The highest number of emergency declarations was in 2005 with 68 events.
Federal disaster declaration totalsIn addition, the agency provided 33 fire management grants, a lower than average number. It was “a higher number compared to 2013 (28) but far fewer than the 118 provided in 2011, or the 86 provided in 2006,” according to a FEMA blog post.
But while the number of disaster declarations was lower than many may have expected to see in 2014, it’s not an indicator of the future. FEMA’s public affairs director, Rafael Lemaitre, wrote: “Every year is different, and the unpredictability of natural and man-made disasters will always drive the number of disasters declared. … Although 2014 saw fewer federal declarations overall, next year could be a peak year for your area, so use this time to prepare your home and family for potential emergencies.”
Use our interactive map to see where disaster declarations were made in 2014:
