Natural disaster risk in Clay County, Arkansas
Arkansas · population 14,532 · FIPS 05021
Overall: relatively low risk
Clay County has a composite risk score of 71.6 out of 100 — higher than 71% of US counties. It ranks 20 of 75 in Arkansas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, ice storm, earthquake.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 41 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 91.83% of Clay County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 41 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Clay 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 low 71.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $20.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 61.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 82.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 11.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Clay County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 95 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 93 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 51 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 39 |
| Landslide | Very low 51 |
| Hurricane | Very low 49 |
| Hail | Very low 28 |
| Wildfire | Very low 6 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Clay County
Federal declarations that designated Clay County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Clay County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3636-AR (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3636-AR | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4873-AR | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 21 May 2025 | Yes |
| EM-3627-AR | Emergency | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 5 Apr 2025 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Arkansas, 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 Clay County, Arkansas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Clay County as relatively low, with a score of 71.6 out of 100 (higher than 71% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Clay County?
The hazards rated highest for Clay County are drought (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high), earthquake (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Clay County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Clay County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Clay County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Clay County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3636-AR (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Clay County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 91.83% of Clay County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 41 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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