Bamberg County Disaster Risk

Bamberg County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 46th 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.

Bamberg County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (89th percentile), earthquake (79th percentile), wildfire (56th percentile), tornado (35th percentile), flooding (21th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 89th 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.

Bamberg County's composite risk percentile is 46th, compared to the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Bamberg County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in South Carolina.

Yes, Bamberg County's hurricane risk is at the 89th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Bamberg County is at the 21th 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.

Bamberg County's composite risk score of 46th percentile is below the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 89th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.