Dorchester County Disaster Risk

Dorchester County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 54th 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.

Dorchester County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (91th percentile), hurricane (85th percentile), wildfire (83th percentile), earthquake (53th percentile), tornado (31th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding 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.

Dorchester County's composite risk percentile is 54th, compared to the Maryland state average of 60th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Dorchester County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Maryland.

Yes, Dorchester County's flooding risk is at the 91th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type.

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.

Dorchester County's composite risk score of 54th percentile is below the Maryland state average of 60th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is flooding at the 91th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.