Natural disaster risk in Richmond County, Georgia
Georgia · population 206,329 · FIPS 13245
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Richmond County has a composite risk score of 87.4 out of 100 — higher than 87% of US counties. It ranks 6 of 159 in Georgia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, tornado, lightning.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Richmond County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 1 week so far.
Drought in Richmond 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 moderate 87.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $56.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 85.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 61.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 50.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Richmond County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 97 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 95 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 94 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 93 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 90 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 67 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 59 |
| Drought | Relatively low 32 |
| Landslide | Very low 60 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Richmond County
Federal declarations that designated Richmond County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Richmond County has been named in 4 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 | Yes |
| EM-3616-GA | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 2024 | No |
| 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 Richmond County, Georgia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Richmond County as relatively moderate, with a score of 87.4 out of 100 (higher than 87% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Richmond County?
The hazards rated highest for Richmond County are strong wind (relatively high), tornado (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Richmond County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Richmond County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Richmond County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Richmond County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3642-GA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Richmond County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Richmond County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 1 week so far.
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