Dillon County Disaster Risk

Dillon County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate, placing it in the 84th 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.

Dillon County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (96th percentile), earthquake (85th percentile), wildfire (81th percentile), tornado (80th percentile), flooding (62th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 96th 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.

Dillon County's composite risk percentile is 84th, compared to the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Dillon County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in South Carolina.

Yes, Dillon County's hurricane risk is at the 96th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Dillon County is at the 62th 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.

Dillon County's composite risk score of 84th percentile is above the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (96th percentile), along with earthquake and wildfire and tornado and flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.