Natural disaster risk in Columbus County, North Carolina
North Carolina · population 50,557 · FIPS 37047
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Columbus County has a composite risk score of 86.9 out of 100 — higher than 86% of US counties. It ranks 23 of 100 in North Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, hurricane, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 34 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 95.2% of Columbus County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 34 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Columbus 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 moderate 86.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $42.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 80.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 88.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 23.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Columbus County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Very high 98 |
| Hurricane | Relatively high 96 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 94 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 82 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 77 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 64 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 63 |
| Drought | Relatively low 47 |
| Hail | Relatively low 44 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 19 |
| Landslide | Very low 14 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Columbus County
Federal declarations that designated Columbus County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Columbus County has been named in 3 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 |
| 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 Columbus County, North Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Columbus County as relatively moderate, with a score of 86.9 out of 100 (higher than 86% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Columbus County?
The hazards rated highest for Columbus County are strong wind (very high), hurricane (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Columbus County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Columbus 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 Columbus County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Columbus County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3637-NC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Columbus County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 95.2% of Columbus County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 34 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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