Natural disaster risk in Wilson County, North Carolina
North Carolina · population 78,695 · FIPS 37195
Overall: relatively low risk
Wilson County has a composite risk score of 76.3 out of 100 — higher than 76% of US counties. It ranks 41 of 100 in North Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, hurricane, drought.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 5 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 68.64% of Wilson County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Wilson 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 76.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $30.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 72.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 61.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 51.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Wilson County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively high 95 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 90 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 65 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 54 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 67 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 54 |
| Wildfire | Very low 40 |
| Landslide | Very low 17 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Wilson County
Federal declarations that designated Wilson County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Wilson 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 Wilson County, North Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Wilson County as relatively low, with a score of 76.3 out of 100 (higher than 76% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Wilson County?
The hazards rated highest for Wilson County are winter weather (relatively high), hurricane (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Wilson County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Wilson County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Wilson County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Wilson 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 Wilson County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 68.64% of Wilson County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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