Transylvania County Disaster Risk

Transylvania County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 64th 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.

Transylvania County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (67th percentile), earthquake (62th percentile), hurricane (60th percentile), tornado (53th percentile), wildfire (44th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 67th 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.

Transylvania County's composite risk percentile is 64th, compared to the North Carolina state average of 67th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Transylvania County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in North Carolina.

Yes, Transylvania County's flooding risk is at the 67th 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.

Transylvania County's composite risk score of 64th 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 flooding at the 67th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.