Harlan County Disaster Risk

Harlan 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.

Harlan County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (80th percentile), wildfire (70th percentile), earthquake (56th percentile), hurricane (43th percentile), tornado (39th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 80th 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.

Harlan County's composite risk percentile is 66th, compared to the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Harlan County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Kentucky.

Yes, Harlan County's flooding risk is at the 80th 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.

Harlan County's composite risk score of 66th percentile is above the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (80th percentile), along with wildfire and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.