Natural disaster risk in Walker County, Alabama
Alabama · population 65,276 · FIPS 01127
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Walker County has a composite risk score of 82.6 out of 100 — higher than 82% of US counties. It ranks 17 of 67 in Alabama (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, lightning, inland (riverine) flooding.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.81% of Walker 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 6 weeks in a row.
Drought in Walker 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 82.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $34.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 76.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 80.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 22.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Walker County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively high 93 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 83 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 84 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 83 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 48 |
| Drought | Relatively low 39 |
| Hail | Relatively low 38 |
| Wildfire | Very low 62 |
| Hurricane | Very low 58 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Walker County
Federal declarations that designated Walker County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Walker 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 Walker County, Alabama?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Walker County as relatively moderate, with a score of 82.6 out of 100 (higher than 82% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Walker County?
The hazards rated highest for Walker County are tornado (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Walker County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Walker County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Walker County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Walker 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 Walker County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.81% of Walker 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 6 weeks in a row.
Every county in Alabama, ranked · All states · Disasters near me