Yellow Medicine County Disaster Risk

Yellow Medicine County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 30th 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.

Yellow Medicine County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: tornado (33th percentile), flooding (29th percentile), wildfire (26th percentile), earthquake (9th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is tornado at the 33th 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.

Yellow Medicine County's composite risk percentile is 30th, compared to the Minnesota state average of 42th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Yellow Medicine County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Minnesota.

Yes, Yellow Medicine County's tornado risk is at the 33th percentile nationally. This is below the national median, indicating relatively lower exposure. For flooding specifically, Yellow Medicine County is at the 29th 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.

Yellow Medicine County's composite risk score of 30th percentile is below the Minnesota state average of 42th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is tornado at the 33th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.