Natural disaster risk in Providence County, Rhode Island
Rhode Island · population 660,349 · FIPS 44007
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Providence County has a composite risk score of 93.7 out of 100 — higher than 93% of US counties. It ranks 1 of 5 in Rhode Island (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are heat wave, inland (riverine) flooding, cold wave.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Providence County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
Drought in Providence 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 moderate 93.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $129.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 93 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 53 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 64.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Providence County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 96 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 90 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 88 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 87 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 53 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 89 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 74 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 56 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 37 |
| Drought | Relatively low 34 |
| Wildfire | Very low 31 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Providence County
Federal declarations that designated Providence County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Providence County has been named in 3 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 |
| DR-4753-RI | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | 7 Jan 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 Providence County, Rhode Island?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Providence County as relatively moderate, with a score of 93.7 out of 100 (higher than 93% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Providence County?
The hazards rated highest for Providence County are heat wave (relatively high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high), cold wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Providence County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Providence County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Providence County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Providence County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4766-RI (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 20 Mar 2024.
Is Providence County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Providence County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
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