Natural disaster risk in Charleston County, South Carolina
South Carolina · population 407,722 · FIPS 45019
Overall: relatively high risk
Charleston County has a composite risk score of 98.6 out of 100 — higher than 98% of US counties. It ranks 1 of 46 in South Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, hurricane, earthquake.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 40 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 13.6% of Charleston County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 40 weeks in a row.
Drought in Charleston 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 high 98.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $499.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 99 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 22.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 96.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Charleston County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Very high 99 |
| Hurricane | Very high 99 |
| Earthquake | Relatively high 98 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 94 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 92 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Hail | Relatively low 60 |
| Drought | Relatively low 35 |
| Landslide | Very low 37 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Charleston County
Federal declarations that designated Charleston County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Charleston County has been named in 3 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 |
| 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 Charleston County, South Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Charleston County as relatively high, with a score of 98.6 out of 100 (higher than 98% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Charleston County?
The hazards rated highest for Charleston County are coastal flooding (very high), hurricane (very high), earthquake (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Charleston County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Charleston County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as very high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Charleston County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Charleston County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Charleston County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 13.6% of Charleston County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 40 weeks in a row.
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