Santa Barbara County Disaster Risk

Santa Barbara County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 99th 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.

Santa Barbara County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (99th percentile), wildfire (99th percentile), flooding (99th percentile), tornado (5th percentile), hurricane (0th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake 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.

Santa Barbara County's composite risk percentile is 99th, compared to the California state average of 89th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Moderate. This means Santa Barbara County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in California.

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

Santa Barbara County's composite risk score of 99th percentile is above the California state average of 89th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (99th percentile), along with wildfire and flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.