Every federal disaster in Champaign since 1957
Each square is a disaster or emergency declaration by the President or FEMA that covered Champaign County. Declarations make federal aid available after hurricanes, floods, storms, fires and other events, so this is a record of the big ones.
- Declarations
- 14since 1957
- Major disasters
- 11the most serious kind
- Since 2000
- 5declarations
- Most recent
- 2020COVID-19 Pandemic
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Champaign County's overall natural hazard risk relatively moderate, led by tornado, winter weather and strong wind. The history above shows what has actually happened; the risk index estimates what is likely.
All declarations
| Declared | Event | Type | FEMA number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2020 | COVID-19 Pandemic | Major disaster | DR-4489 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | COVID-19 | Emergency | EM-3435 |
| Nov 26, 2013 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | Major disaster | DR-4157 |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Emergency | EM-3230 |
| May 21, 2002 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-1416 |
| Jan 8, 1999 | Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99 | Emergency | EM-3134 |
| May 6, 1996 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-1112 |
| Apr 23, 1996 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | Major disaster | DR-1110 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-1025 |
| Mar 6, 1990 | Severe Ice Storm | Major disaster | DR-860 |
| Apr 11, 1974 | Tornadoes | Major disaster | DR-427 |
| Jun 5, 1968 | Tornadoes, Severe Storms & Flooding | Major disaster | DR-242 |
| May 27, 1961 | Floods & Tornadoes | Major disaster | DR-115 |
| Jun 22, 1957 | Floods | Major disaster | DR-78 |
Frequently asked questions
How many federal disasters has Champaign had?
Since 1957, the federal government has issued 14 disaster or emergency declarations covering Champaign County, including 11 major disaster declarations. 5 of them came in 2000 or later.
What was the most recent federal disaster in Champaign?
COVID-19 Pandemic (Major disaster, declared March 26, 2020).
What kinds of disasters hit Champaign most often?
By FEMA incident type: tornado (4), severe storm (3), flood (2) and biological (2).
New to Champaign? The city profile covers flood maps and emergency alerts, and the risk summary shows FEMA's hazard ratings.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), downloaded October 18, 2026. We list declarations that named Champaign County, plus early statewide declarations from before FEMA designated individual counties. "Major disaster" declarations bring the widest federal aid; "emergency" declarations cover shorter-term help; "fire management" declarations help pay to fight large wildfires.