Rabun County Disaster Risk

Rabun County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 45th 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.

Rabun County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (64th percentile), hurricane (62th percentile), flooding (58th percentile), earthquake (50th percentile), tornado (45th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 64th 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.

Rabun County's composite risk percentile is 45th, compared to the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Rabun County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Georgia.

Yes, Rabun County's wildfire risk is at the 64th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Rabun County is at the 58th 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.

Rabun County's composite risk score of 45th percentile is above the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (64th percentile), along with hurricane and flooding and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.