Prairie County Disaster Risk

Prairie County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 41th 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.

Prairie County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (87th percentile), tornado (65th percentile), hurricane (50th percentile), flooding (43th percentile), wildfire (20th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 87th 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.

Prairie County's composite risk percentile is 41th, compared to the Arkansas state average of 56th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Prairie County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Arkansas.

Yes, Prairie County's earthquake risk is at the 87th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Prairie County is at the 43th 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.

Prairie County's composite risk score of 41th 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 87th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.