Natural disaster risk in Sussex County, Delaware
Delaware · population 237,214 · FIPS 10005
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Sussex County has a composite risk score of 94.1 out of 100 — higher than 94% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 3 in Delaware (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, winter weather, cold wave.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 25 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 8.17% of Sussex County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 25 weeks in a row.
Drought in Sussex 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 94.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $119.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 92.2 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 70.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 59.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Sussex County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Very high 97 |
| Winter weather | Very high 96 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Hurricane | Relatively high 97 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 85 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 82 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 84 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 81 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 63 |
| Hail | Relatively low 60 |
| Landslide | Very low 50 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Sussex County
Federal declarations that designated Sussex County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Sussex County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4916-DE (Severe Winter Storm), declared 29 May 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4916-DE | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm | 29 May 2026 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Delaware, 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 Sussex County, Delaware?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Sussex County as relatively moderate, with a score of 94.1 out of 100 (higher than 94% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Sussex County?
The hazards rated highest for Sussex County are coastal flooding (very high), winter weather (very high), cold wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Sussex County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Sussex County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as very high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Sussex County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Sussex County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4916-DE (Severe Winter Storm), declared 29 May 2026.
Is Sussex County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 8.17% of Sussex County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 25 weeks in a row.
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