Natural disaster risk in Murray County, Georgia

Georgia · population 39,914 · FIPS 13213

Overall: relatively low risk

Murray County has a composite risk score of 51.5 out of 100 — higher than 51% of US counties. It ranks 56 of 159 in Georgia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are cold wave, tornado, lightning.

Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Murray 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 Murray 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 51.5
Expected annual loss
About $16.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 53.3
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 40.8
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very low 8.7

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Cold wave Relatively moderate 78
Tornado Relatively moderate 77
Lightning Relatively moderate 65
Strong wind Relatively moderate 60
Earthquake Relatively low 79
Landslide Relatively low 75
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 49
Hail Relatively low 48
Ice storm Relatively low 44
Drought Relatively low 42
Wildfire Very low 53
Hurricane Very low 52
Heat wave Very low 28
Winter weather Very low 18
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Murray County

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

Yes. Murray County has been named in 3 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
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 Murray County, Georgia?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Murray County as relatively low, with a score of 51.5 out of 100 (higher than 51% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Murray County?

The hazards rated highest for Murray County are cold wave (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Murray County?

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

Has Murray County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Murray County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3657-GA (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.

Is Murray County in a drought?

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Murray 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.

Every county in Georgia, ranked · All states · Disasters near me