Baltimore city Disaster Risk

Baltimore city has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 95th 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.

Baltimore city is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: tornado (95th percentile), flooding (94th percentile), earthquake (93th percentile), hurricane (92th percentile), wildfire (24th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is tornado at the 95th 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.

Baltimore city's composite risk percentile is 95th, compared to the Maryland state average of 60th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Baltimore city faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Maryland.

Yes, Baltimore city's tornado risk is at the 95th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Baltimore city is at the 94th 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.

Baltimore city's composite risk score of 95th percentile is above the Maryland state average of 60th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by tornado exposure (95th percentile), along with flooding and earthquake and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.