Wells County Disaster Risk

Wells County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 9th 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.

Wells County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (51th percentile), tornado (23th percentile), flooding (5th percentile), earthquake (2th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 51th 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.

Wells County's composite risk percentile is 9th, compared to the North Dakota state average of 22th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Wells County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in North Dakota.

Yes, Wells County's wildfire risk is at the 51th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Wells County is at the 5th 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.

Wells County's composite risk score of 9th percentile is below the North Dakota state average of 22th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is wildfire at the 51th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.