Lee County Disaster Risk

Lee County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate, placing it in the 81th 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.

Lee County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (93th percentile), tornado (87th percentile), flooding (72th percentile), hurricane (69th percentile), wildfire (37th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 93th 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.

Lee County's composite risk percentile is 81th, compared to the Mississippi state average of 51th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Lee County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Mississippi.

Yes, Lee County's earthquake risk is at the 93th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Lee County is at the 72th 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.

Lee County's composite risk score of 81th percentile is above the Mississippi state average of 51th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (93th percentile), along with tornado and flooding and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.