Natural disaster risk in Aiken County, South Carolina
South Carolina · population 168,745 · FIPS 45003
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Aiken County has a composite risk score of 84.2 out of 100 — higher than 84% of US counties. It ranks 18 of 46 in South Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, lightning, hurricane.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 4 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 15.1% of Aiken County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
Drought in Aiken 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 84.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $47.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 82.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 50.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 33.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Aiken County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Ice storm | Relatively high 92 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 90 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 90 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 88 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 82 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 80 |
| Drought | Relatively low 58 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 53 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Aiken County
Federal declarations that designated Aiken County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Aiken County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3632-SC | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 23 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4829-SC | Major disaster | Hurricane Helene | 29 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3619-SC | Emergency | Hurricane Helene | 26 Sep 2024 | No |
| EM-3606-SC | Emergency | Hurricane Debby | 5 Aug 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in South 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 Aiken County, South Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Aiken County as relatively moderate, with a score of 84.2 out of 100 (higher than 84% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Aiken County?
The hazards rated highest for Aiken County are ice storm (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), hurricane (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Aiken County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Aiken County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Aiken County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Aiken County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Aiken County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 15.1% of Aiken County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
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