Independence County Disaster Risk

Independence County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 69th 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.

Independence County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (90th percentile), tornado (89th percentile), wildfire (70th percentile), flooding (56th percentile), hurricane (51th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake 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.

Independence County's composite risk percentile is 69th, compared to the Arkansas state average of 56th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Independence County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Arkansas.

Yes, Independence County's earthquake risk is at the 90th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Independence County is at the 56th 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.

Independence County's composite risk score of 69th percentile is above the Arkansas state average of 56th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (90th percentile), along with tornado and wildfire and flooding and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.