Natural disaster risk in Madison County, Georgia

Georgia · population 30,080 · FIPS 13195

Overall: very low risk

Madison County has a composite risk score of 28.9 out of 100 — higher than 28% of US counties. It ranks 91 of 159 in Georgia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, hurricane, earthquake.

Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 6 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 52.97% of Madison County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 6 weeks in a row. In all, 99.91% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

Drought in Madison 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.
Very low 28.9
Expected annual loss
About $7.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Very low 25.7
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 61.5
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very low 17.9

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Ice storm Relatively moderate 70
Hurricane Relatively low 69
Earthquake Relatively low 61
Tornado Relatively low 58
Hail Relatively low 56
Drought Relatively low 54
Cold wave Relatively low 51
Lightning Relatively low 49
Heat wave Relatively low 43
Strong wind Relatively low 40
Inland (riverine) flooding Very low 34
Wildfire Very low 29
Landslide Very low 26
Winter weather Very low 6
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Madison County

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

Yes. Madison County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3657-GA (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
EM-3657-GA Emergency Hurricane Isaias 9 Oct 2026 No
EM-3642-GA Emergency Severe Winter Storm 24 Jan 2026 No
DR-4830-GA Major disaster Hurricane Helene 30 Sep 2024 No
EM-3616-GA Emergency Hurricane Helene 26 Sep 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 Madison County, Georgia?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Madison County as very low, with a score of 28.9 out of 100 (higher than 28% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Madison County?

The hazards rated highest for Madison County are ice storm (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low), earthquake (relatively low).

What is the flood risk in Madison County?

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

Has Madison County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Madison County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3657-GA (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.

Is Madison County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 52.97% of Madison County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 6 weeks in a row. In all, 99.91% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

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