Elk County Disaster Risk

Elk County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 45th 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.

Elk County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (68th percentile), hurricane (64th percentile), earthquake (28th percentile), tornado (18th percentile), wildfire (6th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 68th 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.

Elk County's composite risk percentile is 45th, compared to the Pennsylvania state average of 67th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Elk County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Pennsylvania.

Yes, Elk County's flooding risk is at the 68th 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.

Elk County's composite risk score of 45th percentile is below the Pennsylvania 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 68th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.