Natural disaster risk in Suwannee County, Florida

Florida · population 43,427 · FIPS 12121

Overall: relatively low risk

Suwannee County has a composite risk score of 71.3 out of 100 — higher than 71% of US counties. It ranks 45 of 67 in Florida (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, wildfire.

Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, at least 54 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 4.97% of Suwannee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 53.88% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

Drought in Suwannee 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 low 71.3
Expected annual loss
About $24.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 67
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 60.1
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very low 5.2

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Hurricane Relatively high 93
Lightning Relatively high 82
Wildfire Relatively low 81
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 62
Cold wave Relatively low 61
Heat wave Relatively low 58
Tornado Relatively low 51
Drought Relatively low 35
Strong wind Relatively low 20
Earthquake Very low 45
Landslide Very low 17
Winter weather Very low 9
Hail Very low 5
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding No rating
Ice storm Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Suwannee County

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

Yes. Suwannee County has been named in 8 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3655-FL (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual 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 Suwannee County, Florida?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Suwannee County as relatively low, with a score of 71.3 out of 100 (higher than 71% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Suwannee County?

The hazards rated highest for Suwannee County are hurricane (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), wildfire (relatively low).

What is the flood risk in Suwannee County?

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

Has Suwannee County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Suwannee 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 Suwannee County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 4.97% of Suwannee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 53.88% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

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