La Paz County Disaster Risk

La Paz County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate, placing it in the 84th 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.

La Paz County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (91th percentile), earthquake (79th percentile), wildfire (70th percentile), hurricane (17th percentile), tornado (5th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 91th 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.

La Paz County's composite risk percentile is 84th, compared to the Arizona state average of 85th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Moderate. This means La Paz County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Arizona.

Yes, La Paz County's flooding risk is at the 91th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type.

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.

La Paz County's composite risk score of 84th percentile is below the Arizona state average of 85th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is flooding at the 91th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.