Natural disaster risk in Lee County, South Carolina
South Carolina · population 16,515 · FIPS 45061
Overall: very low risk
Lee County has a composite risk score of 36.0 out of 100 — higher than 36% of US counties. It ranks 42 of 46 in South Carolina (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, strong wind, earthquake.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 27 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 39.5% of Lee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 27 weeks in a row. In all, 78.28% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Lee 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. |
Very low 36 |
| Expected annual loss About $7.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 24.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 86.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 18.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Lee County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 59 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 72 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 60 |
| Drought | Relatively low 48 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 46 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 44 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 44 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 43 |
| Hail | Relatively low 35 |
| Wildfire | Very low 57 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 19 |
| Winter weather | Very low 18 |
| Landslide | Very low 12 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Lee County
Federal declarations that designated Lee County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Lee 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 Lee County, South Carolina?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Lee County as very low, with a score of 36.0 out of 100 (higher than 36% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Lee County?
The hazards rated highest for Lee County are hurricane (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate), earthquake (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Lee County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Lee County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Lee County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Lee 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 Lee County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 39.5% of Lee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 27 weeks in a row. In all, 78.28% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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