Buckingham County Disaster Risk

Buckingham County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 19th 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.

Buckingham County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (75th percentile), earthquake (63th percentile), flooding (25th percentile), tornado (23th percentile), wildfire (21th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane 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.

Buckingham County's composite risk percentile is 19th, compared to the Virginia state average of 33th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Buckingham County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Virginia.

Yes, Buckingham County's hurricane risk is at the 75th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Buckingham County is at the 25th 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.

Buckingham County's composite risk score of 19th percentile is below the Virginia state average of 33th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 75th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.