Natural disaster risk in Brunswick County, North Carolina
North Carolina · population 136,245 · FIPS 37019
Overall: relatively high risk
Brunswick County has a composite risk score of 95.8 out of 100 — higher than 95% of US counties. It ranks 3 of 100 in North Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, winter weather.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 34 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 48.81% of Brunswick County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 34 weeks in a row. In all, 95.37% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Brunswick 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 95.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $153.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 94.2 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 75.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 74.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Brunswick County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 92 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 92 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively high 89 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 83 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 82 |
| Landslide | Very low 30 |
| Drought | Very low 28 |
| Hail | Very low 24 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Brunswick County
Federal declarations that designated Brunswick County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Brunswick County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3637-NC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3637-NC | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| FM-5582-NC | Fire management | Sunset Drive Fire | 3 May 2025 | No |
| DR-4837-NC | Major disaster | Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight | 19 Oct 2024 | No |
| EM-3617-NC | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 2024 | No |
| EM-3608-NC | Emergency | Tropical Storm Debby | 6 Aug 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in North Carolina, 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 Brunswick County, North Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Brunswick County as relatively high, with a score of 95.8 out of 100 (higher than 95% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Brunswick County?
The hazards rated highest for Brunswick County are hurricane (very high), lightning (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Brunswick County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Brunswick County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Brunswick County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Brunswick County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3637-NC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Brunswick County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 48.81% of Brunswick County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 34 weeks in a row. In all, 95.37% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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