Escambia County Disaster Risk

Escambia County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 95th 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.

Escambia County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (99th percentile), flooding (89th percentile), wildfire (83th percentile), tornado (71th percentile), earthquake (69th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane 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.

Escambia County's composite risk percentile is 95th, compared to the Florida state average of 76th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Escambia County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Florida.

Yes, Escambia County's hurricane risk is at the 99th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Escambia County is at the 89th 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.

Escambia County's composite risk score of 95th percentile is above the Florida state average of 76th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (99th percentile), along with flooding and wildfire and tornado and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.