Natural disaster risk in Newton County, Georgia
Georgia · population 112,350 · FIPS 13217
Overall: relatively low risk
Newton County has a composite risk score of 50.6 out of 100 — higher than 50% of US counties. It ranks 57 of 159 in Georgia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, tornado, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 8 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.46% of Newton County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 8 weeks in a row.
Drought in Newton 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 50.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $22.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 64.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 43 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Newton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 60 |
| Hail | Relatively low 71 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 62 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 61 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 61 |
| Drought | Relatively low 44 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 37 |
| Hurricane | Very low 54 |
| Wildfire | Very low 40 |
| Landslide | Very low 26 |
| Winter weather | Very low 12 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Newton County
Federal declarations that designated Newton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Newton County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3657-GA (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual 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 | Yes |
| 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 Newton County, Georgia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Newton County as relatively low, with a score of 50.6 out of 100 (higher than 50% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Newton County?
The hazards rated highest for Newton County are ice storm (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Newton County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Newton County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Newton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Newton 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 Newton County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.46% of Newton County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 8 weeks in a row.
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