Alexander County Disaster Risk

Alexander County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 46th 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.

Alexander County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (68th percentile), flooding (60th percentile), earthquake (59th percentile), tornado (53th percentile), wildfire (28th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 68th 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.

Alexander County's composite risk percentile is 46th, compared to the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Alexander County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in North Carolina.

Yes, Alexander County's hurricane risk is at the 68th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Alexander County is at the 60th 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.

Alexander County's composite risk score of 46th percentile is below the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 68th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.