Nicholas County Disaster Risk

Nicholas 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.

Nicholas County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (67th percentile), hurricane (46th percentile), wildfire (41th percentile), earthquake (40th percentile), tornado (10th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 67th 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.

Nicholas County's composite risk percentile is 58th, compared to the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Nicholas County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in West Virginia.

Yes, Nicholas County's flooding risk is at the 67th 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.

Nicholas County's composite risk score of 58th percentile is above the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (67th percentile). Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.