Seneca County Disaster Risk

Seneca County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 42th 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.

Seneca County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (64th percentile), hurricane (59th percentile), earthquake (47th percentile), tornado (31th percentile), wildfire (26th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 64th 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.

Seneca County's composite risk percentile is 42th, compared to the New York state average of 69th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Seneca County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in New York.

Yes, Seneca County's flooding risk is at the 64th percentile nationally. This is above the national median.

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.

Seneca County's composite risk score of 42th percentile is below the New York state average of 69th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is flooding at the 64th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.