Lamar County Disaster Risk

Lamar County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 80th 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.

Lamar County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: tornado (96th percentile), wildfire (86th percentile), earthquake (66th percentile), flooding (62th percentile), hurricane (56th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is tornado 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.

Lamar County's composite risk percentile is 80th, compared to the Texas state average of 49th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Lamar County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Texas.

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

Lamar County's composite risk score of 80th percentile is above the Texas state average of 49th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by tornado exposure (96th percentile), along with wildfire and earthquake and flooding and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.