Natural disaster risk in Duval County, Florida

Florida · population 994,675 · FIPS 12031

Overall: relatively high risk

Duval County has a composite risk score of 97.2 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 12 of 67 in Florida (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, cold wave, hurricane.

Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 69.05% of Duval 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 at least 54 weeks in a row.

Drought in Duval 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.
Relatively high 97.2
Expected annual loss
About $263.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively high 97
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively low 39.9
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively high 62.1

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Lightning Very high 98
Cold wave Relatively high 98
Hurricane Relatively high 97
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively high 97
Hail Relatively high 96
Heat wave Relatively high 96
Coastal flooding Relatively high 91
Tornado Relatively high 91
Earthquake Relatively moderate 90
Wildfire Relatively moderate 89
Strong wind Relatively moderate 81
Landslide Very low 41
Drought Very low 21
Ice storm Very low 17
Winter weather Very low 7
Avalanche Not applicable
Tsunami Insufficient data
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Duval County

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

Yes. Duval County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4834-FL (Hurricane Milton), declared 11 Oct 2024.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4834-FL Major disaster Hurricane Milton 11 Oct 2024 Yes
EM-3622-FL Emergency Hurricane Milton 7 Oct 2024 No
DR-4828-FL Major disaster Hurricane Helene 28 Sep 2024 Yes
DR-4806-FL Major disaster Hurricane Debby 10 Aug 2024 No
EM-3605-FL Emergency Tropical Storm Debby 3 Aug 2024 No

All FEMA declarations in Florida, 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 Duval County, Florida?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Duval County as relatively high, with a score of 97.2 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Duval County?

The hazards rated highest for Duval County are lightning (very high), cold wave (relatively high), hurricane (relatively high).

What is the flood risk in Duval County?

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

Has Duval County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Duval County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4834-FL (Hurricane Milton), declared 11 Oct 2024.

Is Duval County in a drought?

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 69.05% of Duval 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 at least 54 weeks in a row.

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