Cass County Disaster Risk

Cass 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.

Cass County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (63th percentile), flooding (63th percentile), tornado (43th percentile), earthquake (5th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 63th 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.

Cass County's composite risk percentile is 54th, compared to the Minnesota state average of 42th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Cass County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Minnesota.

Yes, Cass County's wildfire risk is at the 63th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Cass County is at the 63th 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.

Cass County's composite risk score of 54th percentile is above the Minnesota state average of 42th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (63th percentile), along with flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.