Rhea County Disaster Risk

Rhea County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 49th 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.

Rhea County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (76th percentile), flooding (63th percentile), tornado (56th percentile), wildfire (48th percentile), hurricane (47th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 76th 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.

Rhea County's composite risk percentile is 49th, compared to the Tennessee state average of 53th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Rhea County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Tennessee.

Yes, Rhea County's earthquake risk is at the 76th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Rhea County is at the 63th 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.

Rhea County's composite risk score of 49th percentile is below the Tennessee state average of 53th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is earthquake at the 76th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.