Smith County Disaster Risk

Smith County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 47th 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.

Smith County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (84th percentile), tornado (71th percentile), earthquake (49th percentile), wildfire (47th percentile), flooding (41th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 84th 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.

Smith County's composite risk percentile is 47th, compared to the Mississippi state average of 51th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Smith County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Mississippi.

Yes, Smith County's hurricane risk is at the 84th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Smith County is at the 41th 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.

Smith County's composite risk score of 47th 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 hurricane at the 84th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.