Smyth County Disaster Risk

Smyth County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 58th 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.

Smyth County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (62th percentile), earthquake (62th percentile), hurricane (58th percentile), wildfire (31th percentile), tornado (21th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 62th 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.

Smyth County's composite risk percentile is 58th, compared to the Virginia state average of 33th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Smyth County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Virginia.

Yes, Smyth County's flooding risk is at the 62th percentile nationally. This is above the national median.

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.

Smyth County's composite risk score of 58th percentile is above the Virginia state average of 33th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (62th percentile), along with earthquake and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.