Hancock County Disaster Risk

Hancock 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.

Hancock County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (88th percentile), flooding (77th percentile), earthquake (51th percentile), tornado (16th percentile), wildfire (11th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 88th 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.

Hancock County's composite risk percentile is 55th, compared to the Maine state average of 57th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Hancock County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Maine.

Yes, Hancock County's hurricane risk is at the 88th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Hancock County is at the 77th 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.

Hancock County's composite risk score of 55th percentile is below the Maine state average of 57th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 88th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.