Rapides Parish Disaster Risk

Rapides Parish has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate, placing it in the 84th 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.

Rapides Parish is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (91th percentile), flooding (82th percentile), wildfire (78th percentile), earthquake (74th percentile), tornado (69th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 91th 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.

Rapides Parish's composite risk percentile is 84th, compared to the Louisiana state average of 62th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Rapides Parish faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Louisiana.

Yes, Rapides Parish's hurricane risk is at the 91th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Rapides Parish is at the 82th 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.

Rapides Parish's composite risk score of 84th percentile is above the Louisiana state average of 62th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (91th percentile), along with flooding and wildfire and earthquake and tornado risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.