Howard County Disaster Risk

Howard County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 49th 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.

Howard County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (63th percentile), hurricane (57th percentile), tornado (54th percentile), flooding (52th percentile), wildfire (46th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 63th 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.

Howard County's composite risk percentile is 49th, compared to the Arkansas state average of 56th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Howard County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Arkansas.

Yes, Howard County's earthquake risk is at the 63th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Howard County is at the 52th 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.

Howard County's composite risk score of 49th percentile is below the Arkansas state average of 56th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is earthquake at the 63th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.