Ouachita County Disaster Risk

Ouachita County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 51th 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.

Ouachita County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (80th percentile), tornado (70th percentile), hurricane (56th percentile), flooding (53th percentile), wildfire (28th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 80th 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.

Ouachita County's composite risk percentile is 51th, compared to the Arkansas state average of 56th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Ouachita County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Arkansas.

Yes, Ouachita County's earthquake risk is at the 80th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Ouachita County is at the 53th 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.

Ouachita County's composite risk score of 51th 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 80th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.