Natural disaster risk in Kings County, New York
New York · population 2,735,309 · FIPS 36047
Overall: relatively high risk
Kings County has a composite risk score of 99.3 out of 100 — among the highest 1% of US counties. It ranks 1 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are cold wave, heat wave, inland (riverine) flooding.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Kings County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 8 weeks in a row.
Drought in Kings 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 high 99.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $374.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 98.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 96.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 12.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Kings County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Cold wave | Very high 99 |
| Heat wave | Very high 99 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very high 99 |
| Strong wind | Very high 99 |
| Winter weather | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Very high 97 |
| Earthquake | Relatively high 98 |
| Hurricane | Relatively high 97 |
| Hail | Relatively high 95 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 94 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 93 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively high 87 |
| Landslide | Very low 43 |
| Wildfire | Very low 38 |
| Drought | Very low 13 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Kings County
Federal declarations that designated Kings County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Kings County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4755-NY (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 30 Jan 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4755-NY | Major disaster | Severe Storm and Flooding | 30 Jan 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 Kings County, New York?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Kings County as relatively high, with a score of 99.3 out of 100 (among the highest 1% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Kings County?
The hazards rated highest for Kings County are cold wave (very high), heat wave (very high), inland (riverine) flooding (very high).
What is the flood risk in Kings County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Kings County as very high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Kings County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Kings County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4755-NY (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 30 Jan 2024.
Is Kings County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Kings County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 8 weeks in a row.
Every county in New York, ranked · All states · Disasters near me