Natural disaster risk in Oglethorpe County, Georgia
Georgia · population 14,820 · FIPS 13221
Overall: very low risk
Oglethorpe County has a composite risk score of 8.1 out of 100 — higher than 8% of US counties. It ranks 138 of 159 in Georgia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, drought, ice storm.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 5 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 57.91% of Oglethorpe County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Oglethorpe 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. |
Very low 8.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $4.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 9.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 37.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 23.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Oglethorpe County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively low 65 |
| Drought | Relatively low 62 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 55 |
| Hail | Relatively low 39 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 29 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 28 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 20 |
| Earthquake | Very low 44 |
| Heat wave | Very low 32 |
| Wildfire | Very low 29 |
| Landslide | Very low 14 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 13 |
| Lightning | Very low 12 |
| Winter weather | Very low 3 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Oglethorpe County
Federal declarations that designated Oglethorpe County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Oglethorpe County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3642-GA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Oglethorpe County, Georgia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Oglethorpe County as very low, with a score of 8.1 out of 100 (higher than 8% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Oglethorpe County?
The hazards rated highest for Oglethorpe County are hurricane (relatively low), drought (relatively low), ice storm (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Oglethorpe County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Oglethorpe County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Oglethorpe County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Oglethorpe County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3642-GA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Oglethorpe County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 57.91% of Oglethorpe County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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