Natural disaster risk in Kent County, Rhode Island
Rhode Island · population 170,332 · FIPS 44003
Overall: relatively low risk
Kent County has a composite risk score of 69.4 out of 100 — higher than 69% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 5 in Rhode Island (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, inland (riverine) flooding, ice storm.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Kent County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 4 weeks in a row.
Drought in Kent 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 69.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $32.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 74.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 23.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 84.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Kent County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 65 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 75 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 65 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 59 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 54 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 46 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 39 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 38 |
| Landslide | Very low 41 |
| Drought | Very low 23 |
| Wildfire | Very low 21 |
| Hail | Very low 3 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Kent County
Federal declarations that designated Kent County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Kent County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4766-RI (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 20 Mar 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4766-RI | Major disaster | Severe Storms and Flooding | 20 Mar 2024 | Yes |
| DR-4765-RI | Major disaster | Severe Storm and Flooding | 20 Mar 2024 | Yes |
All FEMA declarations in Rhode Island, 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 Kent County, Rhode Island?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Kent County as relatively low, with a score of 69.4 out of 100 (higher than 69% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Kent County?
The hazards rated highest for Kent County are hurricane (relatively moderate), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), ice storm (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Kent County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Kent County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Kent County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Kent County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4766-RI (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 20 Mar 2024.
Is Kent County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Kent County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 4 weeks in a row.
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