Natural disaster risk in Shelby County, Alabama
Alabama · population 222,782 · FIPS 01117
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Shelby County has a composite risk score of 90.3 out of 100 — higher than 90% of US counties. It ranks 7 of 67 in Alabama (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, lightning, landslide.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 53.5% of Shelby County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 7 weeks in a row.
Drought in Shelby County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively moderate 90.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $105.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 91.2 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 16.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 74 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Shelby County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively high 98 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 91 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 64 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 84 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 74 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 65 |
| Hail | Relatively low 55 |
| Drought | Relatively low 49 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 29 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Shelby County
Federal declarations that designated Shelby County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Shelby County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3618-AL (Hurricane Helene), declared 26 Sep 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3618-AL | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Alabama, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Shelby County, Alabama?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Shelby County as relatively moderate, with a score of 90.3 out of 100 (higher than 90% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Shelby County?
The hazards rated highest for Shelby County are tornado (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), landslide (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Shelby County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Shelby County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Shelby County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Shelby County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3618-AL (Hurricane Helene), declared 26 Sep 2024.
Is Shelby County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 53.5% of Shelby County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 7 weeks in a row.
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