Fayette County Disaster Risk

Fayette County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 49th 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.

Fayette County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (86th percentile), tornado (53th percentile), flooding (50th percentile), hurricane (42th percentile), wildfire (16th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 86th 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.

Fayette County's composite risk percentile is 49th, compared to the Illinois state average of 55th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Fayette County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Illinois.

Yes, Fayette County's earthquake risk is at the 86th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Fayette County is at the 50th 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.

Fayette County's composite risk score of 49th percentile is below the Illinois state average of 55th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is earthquake at the 86th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.