New Hanover County Disaster Risk

New Hanover County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 96th 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.

New Hanover County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (99th percentile), tornado (90th percentile), flooding (90th percentile), wildfire (83th percentile), earthquake (81th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 99th 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.

New Hanover County's composite risk percentile is 96th, compared to the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means New Hanover County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in North Carolina.

Yes, New Hanover County's hurricane risk is at the 99th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, New Hanover County is at the 90th 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.

New Hanover County's composite risk score of 96th percentile is above the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (99th percentile), along with tornado and flooding and wildfire and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.