Natural disaster risk in Effingham County, Georgia
Georgia · population 64,648 · FIPS 13103
Overall: relatively low risk
Effingham County has a composite risk score of 59.1 out of 100 — higher than 59% of US counties. It ranks 44 of 159 in Georgia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, heat wave, earthquake.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 53 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.66% of Effingham County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 53 weeks in a row.
Drought in Effingham 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 low 59.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $25.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 67.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 17.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 63.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Effingham County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 90 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 76 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 74 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 72 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 51 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 50 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 46 |
| Drought | Relatively low 45 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 39 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 38 |
| Hail | Relatively low 34 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 20 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 24 |
| Winter weather | Very low 23 |
| Landslide | Very low 15 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Effingham County
Federal declarations that designated Effingham County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Effingham County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4830-GA (Hurricane Helene), declared 30 Sep 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4830-GA | Major disaster | Hurricane Helene | 30 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3616-GA | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 2024 | No |
| DR-4821-GA | Major disaster | Tropical Storm Debby | 24 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3607-GA | Emergency | Hurricane Debby | 5 Aug 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Georgia, 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 Effingham County, Georgia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Effingham County as relatively low, with a score of 59.1 out of 100 (higher than 59% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Effingham County?
The hazards rated highest for Effingham County are hurricane (relatively moderate), heat wave (relatively low), earthquake (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Effingham County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Effingham County as relatively low, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Effingham County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Effingham County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4830-GA (Hurricane Helene), declared 30 Sep 2024.
Is Effingham County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.66% of Effingham County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 53 weeks in a row.
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