Jackson County Disaster Risk

Jackson County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 56th 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.

Jackson County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (76th percentile), hurricane (57th percentile), earthquake (42th percentile), wildfire (20th percentile), tornado (13th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 76th 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.

Jackson County's composite risk percentile is 56th, compared to the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Jackson County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in West Virginia.

Yes, Jackson County's flooding risk is at the 76th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type.

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.

Jackson County's composite risk score of 56th percentile is above the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (76th percentile), along with hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.