Chatham County Disaster Risk

Chatham County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 97th 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.

Chatham County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (99th percentile), flooding (96th percentile), earthquake (94th percentile), wildfire (92th percentile), tornado (77th 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.

Chatham County's composite risk percentile is 97th, compared to the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Chatham County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Georgia.

Yes, Chatham County's hurricane risk is at the 99th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Chatham County is at the 96th 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.

Chatham County's composite risk score of 97th percentile is above the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (99th percentile), along with flooding and earthquake and wildfire and tornado risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.