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OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

Federal disaster declarations by state and county since 1953 from the OpenFEMA API, in JSON, CSV, GeoJSON and Parquet without a key.

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About

OpenFEMA is FEMA's open data program. Its API serves datasets at fema.gov/api/open followed by a version and an entity name, with OData-style parameters and no key. The Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset lists every FEMA disaster declaration from the first in 1953, across the three declaration types: major disaster, emergency, and fire management assistance. Each row is one designated area within a declaration, with the incident type, dates, FIPS state and county codes, and flags for the Individuals and Households, Individual Assistance, Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation programs. FEMA lists the dataset's refresh as every 20 minutes.

Through Fibric, an operator watches for new declarations touching your counties and proposes a notice, a hold or an evidence record for a person to approve.

This is a reference listing. It documents what Fibric would read from OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations and what it could propose, based on the publisher's published interfaces. Fibric builds it under a managed deployment when you request it; selecting it here installs nothing.

Inputs

  • DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 at /api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries, one row per designated area with disasterNumber, femaDeclarationString and declarationTitle
  • Declaration type and timing: declarationType, declarationDate, declarationRequestDate, fyDeclared, incidentBeginDate, incidentEndDate and disasterCloseoutDate
  • Place fields: state, fipsStateCode, fipsCountyCode, placeCode, designatedArea, region and tribalRequest
  • Program flags: ihProgramDeclared, iaProgramDeclared, paProgramDeclared and hmProgramDeclared, plus incidentType and designatedIncidentTypes
  • Change tracking: lastRefresh, hash and id per row, and a metadata object with rundate, count and the query echoed back
  • OData-style parameters: $filter, $select, $orderby, $top, $skip, $count, $format, $metadata, $allrecords and $filename
  • Output as JSON, JSONA, JSONL, GeoJSON, CSV or Parquet, with full-file downloads on the dataset page

Proposed actions

Read-only. This feed informs operators; it changes nothing.

Proposed actions are target capabilities. Every action runs propose-first and needs a validated deployment and the appropriate permissions.

What you can build

  • Tell sites in a newly declared county

    When a new row's fipsStateCode and fipsCountyCode match a site, draft a notice with declarationTitle, incidentType and the programs declared, for a manager to send.

    With Severe Weather Notice

  • Revisit promise dates into declared counties

    Propose revised delivery promises for orders shipping to counties under a fresh major disaster or emergency declaration, and keep the original date on record.

    With Promise Date

  • Keep evidence for insurance and relief claims

    Store the declaration row, its hash and lastRefresh for each affected site as evidence for claims, leases and force majeure notices.

    With Compliance Evidence

  • Check tenant notices after a declaration

    When a declaration covers a property's county, propose a shutdown or service notice to tenants with the declaration number and dates, for approval.

    With Shutdown Notice

Requirements

  • The FIPS state and county codes for your sites, to filter on fipsStateCode and fipsCountyCode
  • A poller using $filter on lastRefresh or declarationDate, since FEMA lists a 20-minute refresh and documents no push
  • Paging with $skip and $top: the default return is 1,000 records and the maximum per call is 10,000
  • The attribution FEMA requires: a statement that the product uses the OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA, with endpoint, version and access date
Authentication
None. FEMA states use of the service is free and does not require a subscription or API key.

Limits

  • County-level data are not available before 1964, and FEMA calls Fire Management records partial because of their history
  • FEMA describes the data as raw, unedited output of NEMIS, subject to a small percentage of human error
  • No rate limit is published; FEMA says it may monitor use and suspend access for non-compliance with its terms
  • FEMA's APIs are provided as is and as available, with all warranties disclaimed

Access and pricing

Reference listing. Public feed access is separate from Fibric integration. If you request this feed, your quote covers the build, usage, and support.

Request OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations ↗

Questions and answers

Do I need an API key?
No. FEMA states use of the service is free and does not require a subscription or API key. Requests go to fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries with optional $filter, $select, $orderby, $top, $skip and $format parameters.
How much history is there, and how fresh is it?
The dataset begins with the first disaster declaration in 1953 and covers major disaster, emergency and fire management assistance declarations. FEMA lists the refresh frequency as every 20 minutes, and each row carries a lastRefresh timestamp.
What attribution does FEMA require?
FEMA asks for the statement that the product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA, a citation of the endpoint and version, and the date and time of access. FEMA and DHS logos and seals need prior written authorization.
Ask about OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

Ask about the capabilities and requirements in this listing.

For project-specific requirements, contact Fibric.

This Commons signal listing is developed, published, and supported by Fibric. It reads public data published by Federal Emergency Management Agency, OpenFEMA (fema.gov/api/open). Upstream agencies and projects are the property of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with Fibric and do not sponsor or endorse this listing. Trademark policy