Natural disaster risk in Lafayette County, Florida
Florida · population 8,205 · FIPS 12067
Overall: very low risk
Lafayette County has a composite risk score of 15.9 out of 100 — higher than 15% of US counties. It ranks 64 of 67 in Florida (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, cold wave.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 42.98% of Lafayette County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Lafayette 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. |
Very low 15.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $5.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 15.4 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 50.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 11.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Lafayette County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 36 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 25 |
| Wildfire | Very low 59 |
| Heat wave | Very low 25 |
| Drought | Very low 24 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 22 |
| Earthquake | Very low 22 |
| Tornado | Very low 19 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 14 |
| Landslide | Very low 6 |
| Strong wind | Very low 4 |
| Hail | Very low 2 |
| Winter weather | Very low 2 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Lafayette County
Federal declarations that designated Lafayette County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Lafayette County has been named in 8 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3655-FL (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3655-FL | Emergency | Hurricane Isaias | 9 Oct 2026 | No |
| DR-4834-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Milton | 11 Oct 2024 | No |
| EM-3622-FL | Emergency | Hurricane Milton | 7 Oct 2024 | No |
| DR-4828-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Helene | 28 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3615-FL | Emergency | Tropical Storm Helene | 24 Sep 2024 | No |
| DR-4806-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Debby | 10 Aug 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3605-FL | Emergency | Tropical Storm Debby | 3 Aug 2024 | No |
| DR-4794-FL | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 17 Jun 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 Lafayette County, Florida?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Lafayette County as very low, with a score of 15.9 out of 100 (higher than 15% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Lafayette County?
The hazards rated highest for Lafayette County are hurricane (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively low), cold wave (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Lafayette County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Lafayette County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Lafayette County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Lafayette County has been named in 8 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3655-FL (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.
Is Lafayette County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 42.98% of Lafayette County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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