Kent County Disaster Risk

Kent 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.

Kent County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (82th percentile), flooding (81th percentile), earthquake (75th percentile), tornado (39th percentile), wildfire (21th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 82th 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.

Kent County's composite risk percentile is 69th, compared to the Rhode Island state average of 57th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Kent County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Rhode Island.

Yes, Kent County's hurricane risk is at the 82th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Kent County is at the 81th 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.

Kent County's composite risk score of 69th percentile is above the Rhode Island state average of 57th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (82th percentile), along with flooding and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.