Natural disaster risk in Pamlico County, North Carolina
North Carolina · population 12,213 · FIPS 37137
Overall: relatively low risk
Pamlico County has a composite risk score of 72.4 out of 100 — higher than 72% of US counties. It ranks 49 of 100 in North Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, winter weather.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 71.91% of Pamlico County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Pamlico 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 low 72.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $22.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 64.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 83.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 72.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Pamlico County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively high 95 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 77 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 58 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 43 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 38 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 36 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 19 |
| Earthquake | Very low 32 |
| Drought | Very low 18 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 17 |
| Cold wave | Very low 15 |
| Landslide | Very low 15 |
| Hail | Very low 11 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Pamlico County
Federal declarations that designated Pamlico County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Pamlico 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 Pamlico County, North Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Pamlico County as relatively low, with a score of 72.4 out of 100 (higher than 72% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Pamlico County?
The hazards rated highest for Pamlico County are hurricane (relatively high), lightning (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Pamlico County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Pamlico County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Pamlico County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Pamlico 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 Pamlico County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 71.91% of Pamlico County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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