Natural disaster risk in Swain County, North Carolina
North Carolina · population 14,108 · FIPS 37173
Overall: relatively low risk
Swain County has a composite risk score of 49.1 out of 100 — higher than 49% of US counties. It ranks 77 of 100 in North Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, cold wave, ice storm.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 44 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 71.33% of Swain County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 44 weeks in a row.
Drought in Swain 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 49.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 34.2 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 93.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 25 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Swain County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 63 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 62 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 49 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 43 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 36 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 35 |
| Wildfire | Very low 60 |
| Hurricane | Very low 54 |
| Drought | Very low 29 |
| Hail | Very low 25 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Heat wave | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Swain County
Federal declarations that designated Swain County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Swain 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-5580-NC | Fire management | Sam Davis Road Fire | 20 Apr 2025 | No |
| FM-5577-NC | Fire management | Alarka Fire | 26 Mar 2025 | No |
| DR-4827-NC | Major disaster | Tropical Storm Helene | 28 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3617-NC | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 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 Swain County, North Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Swain County as relatively low, with a score of 49.1 out of 100 (higher than 49% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Swain County?
The hazards rated highest for Swain County are landslide (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate), ice storm (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Swain County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Swain County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Swain County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Swain 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 Swain County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 71.33% of Swain County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 44 weeks in a row.
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