Rusk County Disaster Risk

Rusk County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 54th 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.

Rusk County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: tornado (75th percentile), wildfire (73th percentile), hurricane (72th percentile), flooding (46th percentile), earthquake (44th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is tornado 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.

Rusk County's composite risk percentile is 54th, compared to the Texas state average of 49th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Rusk County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Texas.

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

Rusk County's composite risk score of 54th percentile is above the Texas state average of 49th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by tornado exposure (75th percentile), along with wildfire and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.