Beadle County Disaster Risk

Beadle County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 47th 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.

Beadle County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (75th percentile), tornado (65th percentile), flooding (46th percentile), earthquake (26th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 75th 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.

Beadle County's composite risk percentile is 47th, compared to the South Dakota state average of 27th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Beadle County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in South Dakota.

Yes, Beadle County's wildfire risk is at the 75th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Beadle County is at the 46th 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.

Beadle County's composite risk score of 47th percentile is above the South Dakota state average of 27th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (75th percentile), along with tornado risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.