Clarke County Disaster Risk

Clarke County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 53th percentile nationally out of 3,144 counties. This composite score reflects the county's overall exposure to natural hazards including floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes, weighted by expected annual loss and social vulnerability.

Clarke County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (90th percentile), tornado (68th percentile), earthquake (53th percentile), wildfire (44th percentile), flooding (40th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 90th percentile nationally. These scores are derived from FEMA's National Risk Index, which analyzes expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience for each hazard type.

Clarke County's composite risk percentile is 53th, compared to the Alabama state average of 62th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Clarke County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Alabama.

Yes, Clarke County's hurricane risk is at the 90th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Clarke County is at the 40th percentile.

FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) calculates risk scores for 18 natural hazard types across all U.S. counties and census tracts. The composite score combines Expected Annual Loss (estimated dollar losses from each hazard), Social Vulnerability (demographic factors affecting disaster impact), and Community Resilience (ability to recover). Percentile scores rank each county against all 3,144 U.S. counties, and risk ratings range from Very Low to Very High.

Clarke County's composite risk score of 53th percentile is below the Alabama state average of 62th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 90th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.