Wayne County Disaster Risk

Wayne County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 55th 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.

Wayne County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (58th percentile), hurricane (53th percentile), flooding (51th percentile), tornado (43th percentile), wildfire (38th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 58th 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.

Wayne County's composite risk percentile is 55th, compared to the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Wayne County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Kentucky.

Yes, Wayne County's earthquake risk is at the 58th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Wayne County is at the 51th 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.

Wayne County's composite risk score of 55th percentile is above the Kentucky state average of 44th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (58th percentile), along with hurricane and flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.