Natural disaster risk in Onslow County, North Carolina
North Carolina · population 202,949 · FIPS 37133
Overall: relatively high risk
Onslow County has a composite risk score of 95.0 out of 100 — higher than 95% of US counties. It ranks 5 of 100 in North Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, winter weather, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 41 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 90.08% of Onslow County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 41 weeks in a row.
Drought in Onslow 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 |
| Expected annual loss About $215.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 96.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 14.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 40.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Onslow County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very high 98 |
| Winter weather | Very high 98 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 92 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 85 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 66 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 60 |
| Hail | Relatively low 44 |
| Drought | Relatively low 34 |
| Landslide | Very low 38 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Onslow County
Federal declarations that designated Onslow County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Onslow County has been named in 4 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 |
| 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 Onslow County, North Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Onslow County as relatively high, with a score of 95.0 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 Onslow County?
The hazards rated highest for Onslow County are hurricane (very high), winter weather (very high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Onslow County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Onslow County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Onslow County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Onslow County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3637-NC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Onslow County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 90.08% of Onslow County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 41 weeks in a row.
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