FEMA NRI 1.19.0Updated Nov 2023 · Coverage 2014–2023Methodology

West Virginia Disaster Risk

Natural disaster risk data for all 55 counties.

Avg FEMA Rating

Relatively Low

Avg Percentile

49th

Counties with Data

of 55 total

County risk atlas

West Virginia hazard exposure by county

A compact 2.5D surface of FEMA National Risk Index percentiles. Toggle composite, flood, wildfire, hurricane, tornado, and earthquake risk to see which counties carry the highest relative exposure without loading the full national explorer dataset.

Counties

55/55

Avg composite

49th

Risk layers

Highest Risk Counties

Kanawha County

Relatively High

95th percentile

Cabell County

Relatively Moderate

85th percentile

Wood County

Relatively Low

80th percentile

Wayne County

Relatively Low

80th percentile

Logan County

Relatively Low

79th percentile

Lowest Risk Counties

Wirt County

Very Low

9th percentile

Gilmer County

Very Low

11th percentile

Tucker County

Very Low

13th percentile

Doddridge County

Very Low

14th percentile

Ritchie County

Very Low

16th percentile

All West Virginia Counties

County	Percentile	FEMA Rating	Flood	Wildfire	Tornado	Earthquake
Kanawha County	95th	Relatively High	97.9	61.5	35.2	76.3
Cabell County	85th	Relatively Moderate	91.9	69.2	55.1	71.8
Wood County	80th	Relatively Low	89.6	26.0	32.9	53.6
Wayne County	80th	Relatively Low	89.2	76.1	34.1	48.2
Logan County	79th	Relatively Low	89.4	82.6	13.5	48.9
McDowell County	77th	Relatively Low	84.7	69.3	11.1	58.6
Greenbrier County	76th	Relatively Low	84.6	57.2	12.8	56.0
Putnam County	74th	Relatively Low	86.9	50.3	18.8	43.0
Harrison County	74th	Relatively Low	86.7	25.2	35.0	51.9
Mingo County	73th	Relatively Low	86.0	81.8	12.2	48.5
Monongalia County	72th	Relatively Low	85.0	30.8	46.0	44.4
Marion County	72th	Relatively Low	85.7	30.2	30.9	42.1
Ohio County	70th	Relatively Low	85.3	15.3	33.5	28.9
Boone County	69th	Relatively Low	85.0	74.3	10.6	38.8
Berkeley County	68th	Relatively Low	79.8	31.6	42.6	66.1
Wyoming County	67th	Relatively Low	82.7	74.5	9.2	40.7
Raleigh County	66th	Relatively Low	80.9	75.1	15.6	70.4
Mercer County	65th	Relatively Low	78.3	62.8	17.2	71.0
Lincoln County	60th	Relatively Low	78.7	72.0	11.9	37.2
Nicholas County	58th	Relatively Low	67.0	40.6	9.7	39.5
Mason County	57th	Relatively Low	76.3	30.9	16.0	44.0
Randolph County	57th	Relatively Low	78.3	16.9	9.1	33.9
Wetzel County	57th	Relatively Low	78.3	10.6	15.9	22.8
Marshall County	57th	Relatively Low	76.7	23.9	31.2	28.2
Jackson County	56th	Relatively Low	75.8	20.4	12.8	41.6
Brooke County	54th	Relatively Low	75.7	16.3	22.3	29.3
Fayette County	53th	Relatively Low	72.9	49.5	10.7	52.3
Mineral County	53th	Relatively Low	74.2	25.8	18.5	32.3
Jefferson County	48th	Relatively Low	64.2	21.9	36.6	62.8
Roane County	45th	Relatively Low	69.2	17.1	8.5	31.0
Upshur County	45th	Relatively Low	68.4	10.7	12.8	33.4
Lewis County	44th	Relatively Low	69.1	7.3	11.5	26.0
Hardy County	42th	Very Low	65.3	57.0	16.3	33.1
Hancock County	41th	Very Low	66.3	16.5	23.0	30.6
Summers County	40th	Very Low	59.6	46.9	6.8	33.1
Hampshire County	38th	Very Low	62.8	54.9	20.0	32.6
Braxton County	36th	Very Low	63.6	5.4	6.6	27.4
Tyler County	36th	Very Low	63.0	7.9	14.5	21.9
Webster County	35th	Very Low	60.5	2.2	4.5	24.3
Preston County	34th	Very Low	59.6	27.4	27.1	27.8
Grant County	33th	Very Low	57.9	51.5	14.7	28.6
Morgan County	30th	Very Low	55.9	20.2	18.4	30.4
Pendleton County	30th	Very Low	58.5	26.8	6.5	18.7
Monroe County	28th	Very Low	49.3	50.3	9.7	44.1
Pocahontas County	28th	Very Low	54.2	13.2	5.6	23.1
Barbour County	24th	Very Low	51.7	11.6	11.5	24.5
Taylor County	24th	Very Low	53.5	14.9	15.1	21.5
Clay County	22th	Very Low	53.5	28.0	5.8	25.8
Pleasants County	20th	Very Low	50.0	3.7	12.4	15.5
Calhoun County	17th	Very Low	45.5	3.8	5.7	24.6
Ritchie County	16th	Very Low	44.4	3.9	9.0	21.9
Doddridge County	14th	Very Low	43.6	10.7	9.9	21.7
Tucker County	13th	Very Low	39.6	10.1	8.6	16.1
Gilmer County	11th	Very Low	39.2	1.3	4.6	18.3
Wirt County	9th	Very Low	35.5	0.5	7.2	12.1

Frequently Asked Questions

Which county in West Virginia has the highest natural disaster risk?

Kanawha County has the highest natural disaster risk in West Virginia, rated Relatively High (95th percentile nationally), based on FEMA National Risk Index data.

Which county in West Virginia is the safest from natural disasters?

Wirt County has the lowest natural disaster risk in West Virginia, rated Very Low (9th percentile nationally), based on FEMA NRI data.

What natural disasters are most common in West Virginia?

West Virginia counties face varying levels of risk from floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The FEMA National Risk Index scores each county across 18 hazard types. See individual county pages for detailed hazard breakdowns.

How is natural disaster risk measured by county?

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) measures natural disaster risk using expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. Scores are normalized nationally, with ratings from Very Low to Very High across 18 natural hazard types.

Prepare your household for natural disasters

FEMA's Ready.gov provides county-specific preparedness checklists and emergency planning guides.

FEMA Ready Guide →

Data Source

Risk data sourced from the FEMA National Risk Index (NRI). Risk scores are relative rankings (0–100) across all US counties — not absolute risk measures. Higher scores indicate higher relative risk compared to other counties.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not financial, insurance, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making insurance or real estate decisions.

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