Athens County Disaster Risk

Athens County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 69th 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.

Athens County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (84th percentile), hurricane (53th percentile), earthquake (49th percentile), tornado (37th percentile), wildfire (13th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 84th 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.

Athens County's composite risk percentile is 69th, compared to the Ohio state average of 55th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Athens County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Ohio.

Yes, Athens County's flooding risk is at the 84th 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.

Athens County's composite risk score of 69th percentile is above the Ohio state average of 55th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (84th percentile), along with hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.