Natural disaster risk in Van Buren County, Tennessee
Tennessee · population 6,146 · FIPS 47175
Overall: very low risk
Van Buren County has a composite risk score of 2.7 out of 100 — higher than 2% of US counties. It ranks 95 of 95 in Tennessee (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, cold wave, tornado.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 3 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 7.77% of Van Buren County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 79.94% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Van Buren 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 2.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $2.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 3.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 25.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 13.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Van Buren County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively low 63 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 34 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 27 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 26 |
| Wildfire | Very low 36 |
| Earthquake | Very low 32 |
| Drought | Very low 26 |
| Hurricane | Very low 18 |
| Strong wind | Very low 15 |
| Lightning | Very low 14 |
| Ice storm | Very low 11 |
| Hail | Very low 8 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 7 |
| Heat wave | Very low 3 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Van Buren County
Federal declarations that designated Van Buren County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Van Buren County has been named in 3 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 |
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 Van Buren County, Tennessee?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Van Buren County as very low, with a score of 2.7 out of 100 (higher than 2% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Van Buren County?
The hazards rated highest for Van Buren County are landslide (relatively low), cold wave (relatively low), tornado (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Van Buren County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Van Buren County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Van Buren County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Van Buren County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4898-TN (Severe Winter Storm), declared 6 Feb 2026.
Is Van Buren County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 7.77% of Van Buren County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 79.94% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Every county in Tennessee, ranked · All states · Disasters near me