Holmes County Disaster Risk

Holmes County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 50th 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.

Holmes County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: tornado (82th percentile), earthquake (70th percentile), hurricane (66th percentile), wildfire (57th percentile), flooding (32th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is tornado at the 82th 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.

Holmes County's composite risk percentile is 50th, compared to the Mississippi state average of 51th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Holmes County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Mississippi.

Yes, Holmes County's tornado risk is at the 82th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Holmes County is at the 32th 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.

Holmes County's composite risk score of 50th percentile is below the Mississippi state average of 51th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is tornado at the 82th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.