Beaufort County Disaster Risk

Beaufort County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 97th 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.

Beaufort County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (99th percentile), flooding (94th percentile), earthquake (94th percentile), wildfire (90th percentile), tornado (82th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 99th 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.

Beaufort County's composite risk percentile is 97th, compared to the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Beaufort County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in South Carolina.

Yes, Beaufort County's hurricane risk is at the 99th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Beaufort County is at the 94th 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.

Beaufort County's composite risk score of 97th percentile is above the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (99th percentile), along with flooding and earthquake and wildfire and tornado risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.