Natural disaster risk in Phillips County, Arkansas
Arkansas · population 16,523 · FIPS 05107
Overall: relatively low risk
Phillips County has a composite risk score of 61.7 out of 100 — higher than 61% of US counties. It ranks 33 of 75 in Arkansas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are earthquake, tornado, drought.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 4 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Phillips County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
Drought in Phillips 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 61.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $13.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 46.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 98.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 46.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Phillips County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 75 |
| Hail | Relatively low 54 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 49 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 46 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 40 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 30 |
| Hurricane | Very low 58 |
| Landslide | Very low 53 |
| Wildfire | Very low 18 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Phillips County
Federal declarations that designated Phillips County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Phillips County has been named in 2 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 |
| 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 Phillips County, Arkansas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Phillips County as relatively low, with a score of 61.7 out of 100 (higher than 61% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Phillips County?
The hazards rated highest for Phillips County are earthquake (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Phillips County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Phillips County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Phillips County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Phillips County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3636-AR (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Phillips County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Phillips County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
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