Natural disaster risk in Pike County, Kentucky

Kentucky · population 58,572 · FIPS 21195

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Pike County has a composite risk score of 87.9 out of 100 — higher than 87% of US counties. It ranks 7 of 120 in Kentucky (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, inland (riverine) flooding, wildfire.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Pike County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 9 weeks in a row.

Drought in Pike 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 moderate 87.9
Expected annual loss
About $49.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 83.6
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 79.3
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very low 10.5

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Landslide Relatively high 99
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively high 93
Wildfire Relatively moderate 90
Winter weather Relatively moderate 83
Strong wind Relatively moderate 72
Avalanche Relatively low 75
Heat wave Relatively low 67
Hail Relatively low 53
Cold wave Relatively low 47
Lightning Relatively low 39
Ice storm Relatively low 35
Earthquake Very low 57
Hurricane Very low 51
Drought Very low 19
Tornado Very low 19
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Pike County

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

Yes. Pike County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3633-KY (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
EM-3633-KY Emergency Severe Winter Storm 24 Jan 2026 No
EM-3626-KY Emergency Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding 3 Apr 2025 No
DR-4860-KY Major disaster Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides 24 Feb 2025 Yes
EM-3624-KY Emergency Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides 16 Feb 2025 No

All FEMA declarations in Kentucky, 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 Pike County, Kentucky?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Pike County as relatively moderate, with a score of 87.9 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 Pike County?

The hazards rated highest for Pike County are landslide (relatively high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high), wildfire (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Pike County?

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

Has Pike County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Pike County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3633-KY (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.

Is Pike County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Pike County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 9 weeks in a row.

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