Natural disaster risk in Smith County, Tennessee
Tennessee · population 19,887 · FIPS 47159
Overall: very low risk
Smith County has a composite risk score of 18.8 out of 100 — higher than 18% of US counties. It ranks 83 of 95 in Tennessee (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, strong wind, cold wave.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 4 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Smith County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
Drought in Smith 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 18.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 33.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 40.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Smith County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively low 49 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 47 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 46 |
| Drought | Relatively low 42 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 31 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 25 |
| Landslide | Very low 51 |
| Earthquake | Very low 50 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 31 |
| Hail | Very low 30 |
| Heat wave | Very low 25 |
| Hurricane | Very low 23 |
| Ice storm | Very low 18 |
| Wildfire | Very low 5 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Smith County
Federal declarations that designated Smith County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Smith County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4898-TN (Severe Winter Storm), declared 6 Feb 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4898-TN | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm | 6 Feb 2026 | No |
| EM-3635-TN | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| EM-3625-TN | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 2 Apr 2025 | No |
| DR-4792-TN | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 17 Jun 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Tennessee, 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 Smith County, Tennessee?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Smith County as very low, with a score of 18.8 out of 100 (higher than 18% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Smith County?
The hazards rated highest for Smith County are tornado (relatively low), strong wind (relatively low), cold wave (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Smith County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Smith County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Smith County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Smith County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4898-TN (Severe Winter Storm), declared 6 Feb 2026.
Is Smith County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Smith 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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