Nash County Disaster Risk

Nash County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, 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.

Nash County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (90th percentile), tornado (85th percentile), flooding (83th percentile), earthquake (72th percentile), wildfire (41th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 90th 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.

Nash County's composite risk percentile is 81th, compared to the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Nash County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in North Carolina.

Yes, Nash County's hurricane risk is at the 90th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Nash County is at the 83th 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.

Nash County's composite risk score of 81th percentile is above the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (90th percentile), along with tornado and flooding and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.