Orange County Disaster Risk

Orange County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 79th 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.

Orange County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (86th percentile), hurricane (82th percentile), tornado (81th percentile), earthquake (65th percentile), wildfire (28th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 86th 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.

Orange County's composite risk percentile is 79th, compared to the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Orange County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in North Carolina.

Yes, Orange County's flooding risk is at the 86th 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.

Orange County's composite risk score of 79th percentile is above the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (86th percentile), along with hurricane and tornado and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.