Gallatin County Disaster Risk

Gallatin County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 34th 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.

Gallatin County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (85th percentile), tornado (37th percentile), flooding (36th percentile), hurricane (36th percentile), wildfire (1th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 85th 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.

Gallatin County's composite risk percentile is 34th, compared to the Illinois state average of 55th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Gallatin County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Illinois.

Yes, Gallatin County's earthquake risk is at the 85th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Gallatin County is at the 36th 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.

Gallatin County's composite risk score of 34th 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 85th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.