Every federal disaster declared around Asheville
Federal disaster and emergency declarations covering the county that contains Asheville, NC since 1953 — how many, what kind, and which decades brought the most.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.
Buncombe County has been under a federal disaster declaration 21 times.
Federal declarations since 1953: 21 — Most common: Hurricane (9)
Declarations by incident type
- Hurricane: 9
- Flood: 3
- Tropical Storm: 2
- Biological: 2
- Snowstorm: 2
- Winter Storm: 1
- Fire: 1
- Severe Storm: 1
Declarations by decade
- 1970s: 2
- 1990s: 3
- 2000s: 3
- 2010s: 5
- 2020s: 8
What it means
hurricane events account for 9 of the 21 declarations — the most common reason this county has been declared a federal disaster area.
The busiest stretch was the 2020s, with 8 declarations.
Most recent: severe winter storm (2026-01-24).
A declaration unlocks federal aid; it is not a count of storms. Some events cover many counties at once, and repeat declarations for the same hazard are common.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates — Population, income, housing, education, commuting and poverty figures
- Census Bureau API — ACS Detailed Tables — The endpoint these pages are generated from
- data.census.gov — Look up the same tables for any place yourself
- ACS accuracy statement — Estimates carry margins of error; small places vary the most
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