Suwannee County Disaster Risk

Suwannee County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 71th 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.

Suwannee County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (93th percentile), wildfire (82th percentile), flooding (63th percentile), tornado (52th percentile), earthquake (45th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 93th 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.

Suwannee County's composite risk percentile is 71th, compared to the Florida state average of 76th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Suwannee County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Florida.

Yes, Suwannee County's hurricane risk is at the 93th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Suwannee County is at the 63th 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.

Suwannee County's composite risk score of 71th percentile is below the Florida state average of 76th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 93th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.