McDowell County Disaster Risk

McDowell County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 77th 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.

McDowell County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (85th percentile), wildfire (69th percentile), earthquake (59th percentile), hurricane (55th percentile), tornado (11th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 85th 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.

McDowell County's composite risk percentile is 77th, compared to the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means McDowell County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in West Virginia.

Yes, McDowell County's flooding risk is at the 85th 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.

McDowell County's composite risk score of 77th percentile is above the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (85th percentile), along with wildfire and earthquake and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.