Letcher County Disaster Risk

Letcher County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 67th 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.

Letcher County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (83th percentile), wildfire (76th percentile), earthquake (52th percentile), hurricane (41th percentile), tornado (28th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 83th 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.

Letcher County's composite risk percentile is 67th, compared to the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Letcher County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Kentucky.

Yes, Letcher County's flooding risk is at the 83th 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.

Letcher County's composite risk score of 67th percentile is above the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (83th 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.