Fulton County Disaster Risk

Fulton County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 96th 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.

Fulton County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (98th percentile), tornado (97th percentile), earthquake (96th percentile), hurricane (75th percentile), wildfire (53th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 98th 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.

Fulton County's composite risk percentile is 96th, compared to the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Fulton County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Georgia.

Yes, Fulton County's flooding risk is at the 98th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type.

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.

Fulton County's composite risk score of 96th percentile is above the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (98th percentile), along with tornado and earthquake and hurricane and wildfire risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.