Natural disaster risk in Wayne County, New York

New York · population 91,116 · FIPS 36117

Overall: relatively low risk

Wayne County has a composite risk score of 56.3 out of 100 — higher than 56% of US counties. It ranks 48 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hail, ice storm, strong wind.

Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 1 week

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 6.2% of Wayne County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.

Drought in Wayne 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 low 56.3
Expected annual loss
About $19.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 58.8
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively low 39.3
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very high 90.3

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Hail Relatively moderate 83
Ice storm Relatively moderate 74
Strong wind Relatively moderate 65
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively low 72
Lightning Relatively low 51
Heat wave Relatively low 46
Tornado Relatively low 38
Drought Relatively low 34
Winter weather Relatively low 34
Cold wave Relatively low 25
Hurricane Very low 57
Earthquake Very low 54
Landslide Very low 45
Wildfire Very low 40
Coastal flooding Very low 16
Avalanche Not applicable
Tsunami Insufficient data
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Wayne County

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

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Wayne County.

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 Wayne County, New York?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Wayne County as relatively low, with a score of 56.3 out of 100 (higher than 56% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Wayne County?

The hazards rated highest for Wayne County are hail (relatively moderate), ice storm (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Wayne County?

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

Has Wayne County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Wayne County.

Is Wayne County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 6.2% of Wayne County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.

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