Calaveras County Disaster Risk

Calaveras County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate, placing it in the 87th 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.

Calaveras County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (99th percentile), flooding (78th percentile), earthquake (77th percentile), tornado (8th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 99th 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.

Calaveras County's composite risk percentile is 87th, compared to the California state average of 89th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Moderate. This means Calaveras County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in California.

Yes, Calaveras County's wildfire risk is at the 99th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Calaveras County is at the 78th 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.

Calaveras County's composite risk score of 87th percentile is below the California state average of 89th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is wildfire at the 99th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.