Thomas County Disaster Risk

Thomas County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 66th 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.

Thomas County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (92th percentile), wildfire (71th percentile), flooding (57th percentile), tornado (51th percentile), earthquake (48th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 92th 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.

Thomas County's composite risk percentile is 66th, compared to the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Thomas County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Georgia.

Yes, Thomas County's hurricane risk is at the 92th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Thomas County is at the 57th 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.

Thomas County's composite risk score of 66th percentile is above the Georgia state average of 40th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (92th percentile), along with wildfire and flooding and tornado risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.