Natural disaster risk in Essex County, New York
New York · population 37,348 · FIPS 36031
Overall: relatively low risk
Essex County has a composite risk score of 62.7 out of 100 — higher than 62% of US counties. It ranks 40 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, avalanche, 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 Essex 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 7 weeks in a row.
Drought in Essex 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 62.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $20.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 61.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 55.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 85.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Essex County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively high 97 |
| Avalanche | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 72 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 65 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 51 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 36 |
| Heat wave | Very low 30 |
| Wildfire | Very low 24 |
| Tornado | Very low 23 |
| Hail | Very low 12 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Drought | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Essex County
Federal declarations that designated Essex County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Essex County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4825-NY (Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby), declared 24 Sep 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4825-NY | Major disaster | Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby | 24 Sep 2024 | No |
| DR-4814-NY | Major disaster | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 29 Aug 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in New York, 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 Essex County, New York?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Essex County as relatively low, with a score of 62.7 out of 100 (higher than 62% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Essex County?
The hazards rated highest for Essex County are landslide (relatively high), avalanche (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Essex County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Essex County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Essex County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Essex County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4825-NY (Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby), declared 24 Sep 2024.
Is Essex County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Essex 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 7 weeks in a row.
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