Salem County Disaster Risk

Salem County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 77th 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.

Salem County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (96th percentile), earthquake (80th percentile), hurricane (77th percentile), wildfire (68th percentile), tornado (35th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 96th 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.

Salem County's composite risk percentile is 77th, compared to the New Jersey state average of 91th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Moderate. This means Salem County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in New Jersey.

Yes, Salem County's flooding risk is at the 96th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type.

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.

Salem County's composite risk score of 77th percentile is below the New Jersey state average of 91th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is flooding at the 96th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.