Connecticut has had no federal disaster declaration in 2025 and none so far in 2026. The last one came on October 24, 2024, for the Hawthorne Fire. Yet the state’s federal disaster ledger still averages out to about one declaration a year, according to USAFacts, which publishes the figures from Federal Emergency Management Agency data.
The average covers the most recent five full years, 2021 through 2025. In that stretch Connecticut had 7 declarations, and they were lumpy. Three fell in 2021: Tropical Storm Isaias on January 12, Hurricane Henri on August 22, and the remnants of Hurricane Ida on October 30. Four more came in 2024. Then nothing. USAFacts counted zero in 2025 and zero in 2026 as of September.
The 2024 run
The four 2024 declarations all came from storms except the last. An emergency declaration on January 13 covered severe storms, flooding and a potential dam breach. On August 21 came another emergency for severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, followed on September 20 by a major disaster declaration for the same event. The Hawthorne Fire declaration on October 24 was a fire management type.
Storms dominate the record. USAFacts said hurricanes and severe storms accounted for six of the state’s seven declarations in the last five years. Since 1980, Connecticut has had 43 disaster declarations, and hurricanes and severe storms make up 24 of the 39 it classed by incident type, or 61.5%.
What a declaration is
A declaration is a formal request for federal aid when state, local or tribal resources are overwhelmed, and the president approves it when federal support is judged necessary. Governors usually file the request, though tribal nations can file their own. Whether a request is approved, and how many arrive, depends on the type and severity of the disaster among other factors, USAFacts said.
There are two main kinds. A major disaster declaration covers hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, droughts, explosions and other severe natural events, typically with widespread damage and long recovery. An emergency declaration is for protecting lives, property, or public health and safety. Aid under it is capped at $5 million. Fire management, a third type, covers managing and suppressing fires, and those decisions are usually made within a few hours.
A quiet two years, then, says nothing about what happens next. The 2021 to 2025 average hides a state that went from three declarations in one year to none.
