Jefferson County Disaster Risk

Jefferson County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 48th 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.

Jefferson County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (69th percentile), flooding (64th percentile), earthquake (63th percentile), tornado (37th percentile), wildfire (22th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 69th 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.

Jefferson County's composite risk percentile is 48th, compared to the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Jefferson County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in West Virginia.

Yes, Jefferson County's hurricane risk is at the 69th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Jefferson County is at the 64th 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.

Jefferson County's composite risk score of 48th percentile is below the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 69th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.