Williams County Disaster Risk

Williams County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 44th 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.

Williams County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: tornado (74th percentile), earthquake (63th percentile), flooding (52th percentile), hurricane (32th percentile), wildfire (12th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is tornado at the 74th 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.

Williams County's composite risk percentile is 44th, compared to the Ohio state average of 55th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Williams County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Ohio.

Yes, Williams County's tornado risk is at the 74th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Williams County is at the 52th 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.

Williams County's composite risk score of 44th percentile is below the Ohio state average of 55th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is tornado at the 74th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.