Nicholas County Disaster Risk

Nicholas County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 19th 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.

Nicholas County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (41th percentile), earthquake (39th percentile), tornado (36th percentile), hurricane (31th percentile), wildfire (2th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 41th 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.

Nicholas County's composite risk percentile is 19th, compared to the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Nicholas County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Kentucky.

Yes, Nicholas County's flooding risk is at the 41th percentile nationally. This is below the national median, indicating relatively lower exposure.

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.

Nicholas County's composite risk score of 19th percentile is below the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is flooding at the 41th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.