Natural disaster risk in Bamberg County, South Carolina
South Carolina · population 13,290 · FIPS 45009
Overall: relatively low risk
Bamberg County has a composite risk score of 46.5 out of 100 — higher than 46% of US counties. It ranks 36 of 46 in South Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, hail, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 40 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 20.13% of Bamberg County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 40 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Bamberg 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 46.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 32.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 94.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 37.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Bamberg County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 58 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 79 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 57 |
| Drought | Relatively low 56 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 50 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 35 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 34 |
| Wildfire | Very low 55 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 20 |
| Winter weather | Very low 20 |
| Cold wave | Very low 14 |
| Landslide | Very low 9 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Bamberg County
Federal declarations that designated Bamberg County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Bamberg County has been named in 6 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-4858-SC | Major disaster | Severe Storms and Flooding | 10 Jan 2025 | No |
| DR-4835-SC | Major disaster | Tropical Storm Debby | 29 Sep 2024 | 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 Bamberg County, South Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Bamberg County as relatively low, with a score of 46.5 out of 100 (higher than 46% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Bamberg County?
The hazards rated highest for Bamberg County are hurricane (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Bamberg County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Bamberg County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Bamberg County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Bamberg County has been named in 6 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Bamberg County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 20.13% of Bamberg County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 40 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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