fema-mcp-server

---

Overview

Federal disaster recovery data from FEMA's OpenFEMA API — disaster declarations, public assistance grants, individual housing assistance, and NFIP flood insurance claims. Search declarations by state or incident, drill into public assistance and housing assistance by disaster number, and run SQL analytics over large NFIP result sets via DataCanvas. Runs as a stdio process, a local Streamable HTTP server, or the public hosted endpoint above.

Tools

Tool	Description
fema_search_disasters	Search federal disaster declarations by state, incident type, declaration type, date range, and county
fema_get_disaster	Fetch all designated-area records for a specific disaster by disaster number
fema_get_public_assistance	Public assistance funded projects for a disaster or state — where federal recovery money went
fema_get_housing_assistance	Individual assistance housing data for a disaster — owner and renter breakdowns by county/ZIP
fema_search_nfip	NFIP flood insurance claims for a state, county, or ZIP, with optional DataCanvas spillover for SQL analytics
fema_dataframe_describe	List columns and row counts for DataCanvas tables staged by fema_search_nfip
fema_dataframe_query	Run a SELECT query against a DataCanvas table staged by fema_search_nfip
fema_dataframe_drop	Remove a staged DataCanvas table or view — opt-in, absent from tools/list by default
fema_query_dataset	Generic OData query against any dataset in the OpenFEMA catalog — escape hatch for datasets the convenience tools don't cover

fema_dataframe_drop is callable and appears in tools/list only when FEMA_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROP=true. Its definition is always included in createApp(); while disabled, the HTTP landing page displays the enable hint. The other eight tools are always advertised.

Resources

Resource	Description
fema://disaster/{disasterNumber}	Summary for a specific FEMA disaster declaration — title, state, incident type, programs, incident period

All resource data is also reachable via tools. Use fema_get_disaster for the same data with full designated-area detail.

Capability reference

fema_search_disasters _tool

• Filters: state, incident_type, declaration_type (DR/EM/FM), inclusive date_from/date_to (YYYY-MM-DD), and county; page with limit (1–1000, default 50) and offset.
• Returns one summary per disaster number with designated_area_count, program flags, and declaration totals. Typed errors: invalid_state, no_results.
• Searches the most recent 10,000 designated-area rows. When capped, returns complete declarations, marks truncated, reports declaration totals as lower bounds, and names the next date_to in notice.

---

fema_get_disaster _tool

• Requires disaster_number from fema_search_disasters.
• Returns all designated-area records, FIPS codes, incident period, and program flags combined across areas; a missing disaster returns not_found.

---

fema_get_public_assistance _tool

• Requires disaster_number or state; optional county filter, limit (1–1000, default 100), and offset.
• Returns applicants, damage categories, project size/status, and federal and total obligations. Typed errors: invalid_state, missing_filter, not_found, no_results.

---

fema_get_housing_assistance _tool

• Requires disaster_number; optional state, type (owners/renters/both, default both), limit (1–1000, default 100), and offset.
• Returns separate owners and renters arrays with county/ZIP registrations and approved amounts, plus owners_count/renters_count totals. Typed errors: invalid_state, not_found, no_results.

---

fema_search_nfip _tool

• Requires state; optional county_code, zip_code, year_from/year_to, limit (1–10000, default 1000), and offset. Reads NfipClaims v3, newest loss first with claim ID breaking ties.
• county_code accepts a full 5-digit FIPS code (e.g., 48201) or a 3-digit county code (e.g., 201); the server prefixes the latter with the state's FIPS code.
• Inline claims stop at 100,000 characters, with a continuation offset in notice; cause_of_damage and occupancy_type retain OpenFEMA's published codes. Typed errors: invalid_state, no_results.
• With CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE=duckdb, a first-page match exceeding the inline budget stages up to 50,000 rows. canvas_id, canvas_table, and staged_count identify the stage; truncated: true marks its cap and total_count retains the full match. Inspect the stage with fema_dataframe_describe, then query it with fema_dataframe_query.

---

fema_dataframe_describe _tool

• Requires canvas_id from fema_search_nfip.
• Lists table/view names, column types, nullability, and staged row counts. Typed errors: canvas_not_found, canvas_unavailable.

---

fema_dataframe_query _tool

• Requires canvas_id and a single SQL query; only SELECT statements are permitted. DDL, DML, COPY, and file-reading functions are blocked.
• Returns rows capped at the canvas row limit, with truncated/shown/cap and LIMIT/OFFSET guidance when capped. Typed errors: canvas_not_found, canvas_unavailable, invalid_query, sql_execution_error (use TRY_CAST or filter incompatible values).

---

fema_dataframe_drop _tool

• Requires canvas_id and the exact table_name from fema_dataframe_describe.
• Removes one staged table or view; dropped: false means the name did not exist. Typed errors: canvas_not_found, canvas_unavailable.
• Opt-in through FEMA_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROP=true; disabled by default with an enable hint in the manifest. FEMA source data is unchanged.

---

fema_query_dataset _tool

• Requires a case-sensitive OpenFEMA dataset; optional OData filter/select/orderby, limit (1–10000, default 100), and offset. Resolves each dataset's API version from the catalog.
• Returns records and total_count; an empty page succeeds with filter or paging guidance. Typed errors: unknown_dataset, dataset_not_served, catalog_unavailable (retryable), invalid_filter, invalid_select, invalid_orderby, invalid_odata_syntax.
• For NfipPolicies, use propertyState and reportedZipCode; always include a ZIP filter to avoid timeout.

---

fema://disaster/{disasterNumber} _resource

• Requires disasterNumber as a string of digits.
• Returns title, state, incident type, declaration type/date, incident period, programs_declared, and designated_area_count; not_found carries recovery guidance pointing to fema_search_disasters.

Features

Built on @cyanheads/mcp-ts-core: stdio and Streamable HTTP transports, pluggable auth (none / jwt / oauth), swappable storage (in-memory, filesystem, Supabase, Cloudflare KV/R2/D1), structured logging with optional OpenTelemetry tracing.

OpenFEMA-specific:

• Disaster numbers are in OpenFEMA's range 1–32767; an offset past the last match returns an empty page with totals and a notice naming the last valid offset.
• Canvas inputs accept the server-issued 10-character URL-safe canvas_id ([A-Za-z0-9_-]{10}); omit it on the first NFIP search.
• Typed OpenFEMA REST client with %24-prefixed OData parameter encoding (an Akamai requirement), per-dataset API versions resolved from the OpenFEMA dataset catalog, and structured error classification distinguishing JSON 400 responses (by the failing filter/select/orderby clause) from HTML Drupal error pages
• Automatic deduplication of DisasterDeclarationsSummaries — one row per designated area collapsed to declaration-level summaries with designated_area_count
• NFIP Claims guard: state filter is required to prevent unbounded 2.7M-row fetches
• DataCanvas spillover for NFIP analytics — large NFIP result sets materialize as DuckDB tables queryable via SQL without re-fetching
• No API keys required — OpenFEMA is a free, public API

Agent-friendly output:

• Disaster number is the explicit join key across all datasets — every tool that touches a disaster surfaces it prominently so agents can chain calls without re-searching
• Typed error contracts on every tool — invalid_state, no_results, not_found, missing_filter, unknown_dataset, dataset_not_served, invalid_filter, invalid_select, invalid_orderby, invalid_odata_syntax, canvas_unavailable — with recovery hints telling agents the concrete next step
• designated_area_count on search results so agents know whether to drill in with fema_get_disaster without having to fetch the full record first

Getting started

Public Hosted Instance

A public instance is available at https://fema.caseyjhand.com/mcp — no installation required. Point any MCP client at it via Streamable HTTP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fema-mcp-server": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://fema.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Self-Hosted / Local

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fema-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": ["@cyanheads/fema-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or with npx (no Bun required):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fema-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@cyanheads/fema-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or with Docker:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fema-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "-i", "--rm",
        "-e", "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=stdio",
        "ghcr.io/cyanheads/fema-mcp-server:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

For Streamable HTTP, set the transport and start the server:

MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 bun run start:http
# Server listens at http://localhost:3010/mcp

To enable DuckDB-backed SQL analytics for NFIP Claims:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fema-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": ["@cyanheads/fema-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE": "duckdb"
      }
    }
  }
}

Prerequisites

• Bun v1.4.0 or higher (or Node.js v24+).
• No API keys required — OpenFEMA is a free, public API.
• Optional: set CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE=duckdb to enable SQL analytics over large NFIP Claims result sets.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/cyanheads/fema-mcp-server.git

2. Navigate into the directory:

cd fema-mcp-server

3. Install dependencies:

bun install

4. Configure environment:

cp .env.example .env
# edit .env — no required vars, but CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE=duckdb enables SQL analytics

Configuration

All configuration is validated at startup via Zod schemas in src/config/server-config.ts. Key environment variables:

Variable	Description	Default
FEMA_BASE_URL	Override the OpenFEMA API root. Each dataset's version is appended per request; a trailing /v<N> segment is ignored.	https://www.fema.gov/api/open
FEMA_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS	Total budget in milliseconds for one upstream exchange, including response body, retries, and backoff. NFIP county queries can be slow.	30000
CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE	Set to duckdb to enable DataCanvas for NFIP Claims analytics. Without it, fema_search_nfip returns inline pages only, paged by offset.	—
FEMA_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROP	Enable the destructive fema_dataframe_drop tool for removing staged tables and views.	false
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE	Transport: stdio or http.	stdio
MCP_SESSION_MODE	Session mode: auto, stateful, or stateless. Overrides this server's explicit stateless default. The framework schema default auto resolves to stateful.	stateless
MCP_HTTP_PORT	HTTP server port.	3010
MCP_AUTH_MODE	Auth mode: none, jwt, or oauth.	none
MCP_LOG_LEVEL	Log level (debug, info, warning, error, etc.).	info
LOG_TOOL_FAILURE_PAYLOADS	Log failed-call arguments and results, redacted by key name. Secrets in free-form values are retained.	false
LOG_TOOL_FAILURE_PAYLOAD_MAX_BYTES	Per-payload UTF-8 byte cap for failed-call logging.	16384
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT	OTLP base URL; traces append /v1/traces, metrics append /v1/metrics.	—
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT	Override the traces endpoint; used as-is.	—
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_ENDPOINT	Override the metrics endpoint; used as-is.	—
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_LOGS_ENDPOINT	Opt into log export at this URL; the base endpoint alone never enables it.	—
LOGS_DIR	Directory for log files (Node.js only).	<project-root>/logs
OTEL_ENABLED	Enable OpenTelemetry instrumentation.	false

See .env.example for the full list of optional overrides.

Running the server

Local development

• Build and run:

  # One-time build
  bun run rebuild
  
  # Run the built server
  bun run start:stdio
  # or
  bun run start:http
  

• Run checks and tests:

  bun run devcheck   # Lint, format, typecheck, security
  bun run test       # Vitest test suite
  bun run lint:mcp   # Validate MCP definitions against spec
  

Docker

docker build -t fema-mcp-server .
docker run --rm -e MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=stdio fema-mcp-server

The Dockerfile defaults to HTTP transport, stateless session mode, and logs to /var/log/fema-mcp-server. OpenTelemetry peer dependencies are installed by default — build with --build-arg OTEL_ENABLED=false to omit them. Production dependencies are cross-installed for the target architecture in a native build stage, with release-age and Socket checks; the Debian runtime excludes unused musl bindings.

Project structure

Directory	Purpose
src/index.ts	createApp() entry point — registers tools/resources and inits services.
src/config	Server-specific environment variable parsing and validation with Zod.
src/mcp-server/tools	Tool definitions (*.tool.ts) — one file per tool.
src/mcp-server/resources	Resource definitions (*.resource.ts).
src/services/openfema	OpenFEMA REST API client — OData param builder, response parser, error classifier, retry wrapper.
src/services/canvas	DataCanvas integration — DuckDB spillover for large NFIP result sets.
tests/	Unit and integration tests mirroring src/.

Development guide

See CLAUDE.md for development guidelines and architectural rules. The short version:

• Handlers throw, framework catches — no try/catch in tool logic
• Use ctx.log for request-scoped logging, ctx.state for tenant-scoped storage
• Register new tools and resources in src/index.ts
• Wrap external API calls: validate raw → normalize to domain type → return output schema; never fabricate missing fields

Contributing

Issues are welcome. Run checks and tests before submitting:

bun run devcheck
bun run test

Data source

Data is provided by the OpenFEMA API, a free public API maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Usage is subject to OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

When citing OpenFEMA datasets in research or publications, use the format FEMA specifies:

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: <name>. Retrieved from <URL> on <date>.

License

Apache-2.0 — see LICENSE for details.