Natural disaster risk in Scott County, Arkansas

Arkansas · population 9,827 · FIPS 05127

Overall: very low risk

Scott County has a composite risk score of 26.8 out of 100 — higher than 26% of US counties. It ranks 69 of 75 in Arkansas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, wildfire, heat wave.

Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 8 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 40.99% of Scott County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 8 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

Drought in Scott 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Very low 26.8
Expected annual loss
About $7.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Very low 26.1
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 49.8
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very low 3.7

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Scott County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Ice storm Relatively high 86
Wildfire Relatively low 67
Heat wave Relatively low 49
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 45
Tornado Relatively low 41
Winter weather Relatively low 36
Lightning Relatively low 31
Strong wind Relatively low 31
Cold wave Relatively low 27
Landslide Very low 54
Earthquake Very low 40
Hurricane Very low 34
Hail Very low 27
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Drought No rating
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Scott County

Federal declarations that designated Scott County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Scott 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.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual 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 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 Scott County, Arkansas?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Scott County as very low, with a score of 26.8 out of 100 (higher than 26% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Scott County?

The hazards rated highest for Scott County are ice storm (relatively high), wildfire (relatively low), heat wave (relatively low).

What is the flood risk in Scott County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Scott County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Scott County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Scott 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 Scott County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 40.99% of Scott County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 8 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

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