Natural disaster risk in Hampton County, South Carolina

South Carolina · population 18,531 · FIPS 45049

Overall: relatively low risk

Hampton County has a composite risk score of 64.8 out of 100 — higher than 64% of US counties. It ranks 32 of 46 in South Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, strong wind, drought.

Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, at least 54 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 86.04% of Hampton County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.

Drought in Hampton 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively low 64.8
Expected annual loss
About $15.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 50.9
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Very high 94.6
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively low 27.4

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Hampton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Hurricane Relatively moderate 92
Strong wind Relatively moderate 68
Drought Relatively moderate 67
Ice storm Relatively moderate 65
Earthquake Relatively low 82
Heat wave Relatively low 75
Wildfire Relatively low 71
Tornado Relatively low 42
Lightning Relatively low 39
Cold wave Relatively low 33
Inland (riverine) flooding Very low 34
Hail Very low 33
Coastal flooding Very low 24
Winter weather Very low 14
Landslide Very low 8
Avalanche Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Hampton County

Federal declarations that designated Hampton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Hampton County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
EM-3632-SC Emergency Severe Winter Storm 23 Jan 2026 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 Hampton County, South Carolina?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Hampton County as relatively low, with a score of 64.8 out of 100 (higher than 64% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Hampton County?

The hazards rated highest for Hampton County are hurricane (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Hampton County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Hampton County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Hampton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Hampton County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.

Is Hampton County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 86.04% of Hampton County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.

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