Raleigh County Disaster Risk

Raleigh County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 66th 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.

Raleigh County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (81th percentile), wildfire (75th percentile), earthquake (70th percentile), hurricane (53th percentile), tornado (16th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 81th 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.

Raleigh County's composite risk percentile is 66th, compared to the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Raleigh County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in West Virginia.

Yes, Raleigh County's flooding risk is at the 81th 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.

Raleigh County's composite risk score of 66th percentile is above the West Virginia state average of 49th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (81th 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.