Bedford County Disaster Risk

Bedford County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 68th 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.

Bedford County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (84th percentile), hurricane (78th percentile), earthquake (44th percentile), wildfire (29th percentile), tornado (26th 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.

Bedford County's composite risk percentile is 68th, compared to the Pennsylvania state average of 67th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Bedford County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Pennsylvania.

Yes, Bedford 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.

Bedford County's composite risk score of 68th percentile is above the Pennsylvania state average of 67th 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.