Winston County Disaster Risk

Winston County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 59th 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.

Winston County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (81th percentile), tornado (79th percentile), flooding (65th percentile), hurricane (63th percentile), wildfire (59th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 81th 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.

Winston County's composite risk percentile is 59th, compared to the Alabama state average of 62th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Winston County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Alabama.

Yes, Winston County's earthquake risk is at the 81th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Winston County is at the 65th 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.

Winston County's composite risk score of 59th 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 earthquake at the 81th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.