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Georgia · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Brooks County, GA

5 FEMA disaster declarations (2023–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Tropical Storm.

5
FEMA declarations
3
Major disasters
42
NRI risk · Very Low
Tropical Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Brooks County in the top 58% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 72% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Brooks County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Georgia county average and the national county average.

Brooks County
5
Georgia county avg
3.5
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Brooks County?

Brooks County, Georgia has recorded 5 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2024, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 5.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 44% above the Georgia county average of 3.5 and 34% above the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency, smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Tropical Storm, with 3 of 5 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 42.1/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $8.5M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very High and community resilience scores Very Low - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Lightning (Relatively High).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Brooks County at a moderate relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps, flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management, before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How Brooks County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Moderate

vs. Georgia Avg

+44%

State avg: 3.5

vs. National Avg

+34%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

5.0

Over 1 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Brooks County

Brooks County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 48, Tornado 25, Wildfire 8, Drought 25, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 25. Overall composite 21 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 21 composite
Brooks County NRI risk profile FIPS 13027 · composite 21/100 (Low)

The radar plots Brooks County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.

FEMA Records

5

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

13027

GA state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 5 FEMA disaster declarations in Brooks County by incident type.

Tropical Storm 3
Hurricane 2

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Major Disaster - 3 60.0%

of all 5 declarations

Emergency - 2 40.0%

of all 5 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Brooks County.

Year Declarations
2024 4
2023 1

Disaster Declarations

All 5 FEMA disaster declarations for Brooks County, Georgia.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4830 HURRICANE HELENE DR Hurricane 2024-09-30
3616 HURRICANE HELENE EM Tropical Storm 2024-09-26
4821 TROPICAL STORM DEBBY DR Tropical Storm 2024-09-24
3607 HURRICANE DEBBY EM Tropical Storm 2024-08-05
4738 HURRICANE IDALIA DR Hurricane 2023-09-07

Storm Events in Georgia

NOAA severe weather data for Georgia (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 10,642 16 78 $67.8M
Drought 1,508 0 0 $0
Hail 1,397 0 0 $61.8M
Flash Flood 1,205 0 3 $29.4M
Tornado 691 37 380 $390.1M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Brooks County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 42.1/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$8.5M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very High

Community Resilience

Very Low

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Brooks County.

Lightning Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Hail Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in Georgia

Other Georgia counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Brooks County, Georgia had?
Brooks County, Georgia has received 5 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2024. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Brooks County?
The most common disaster type in Brooks County is Tropical Storm, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (2).
How does Brooks County's disaster risk compare to the Georgia average?
Brooks County has 5 disaster declarations, which is 44% higher than the Georgia county average of 3.5 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 34% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Brooks County received?
Brooks County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 60% of all 5 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Georgia?
The most common storm types in Georgia include Thunderstorm Wind (10,642 events), Drought (1,508 events), Hail (1,397 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Brooks County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Brooks County was 2024, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2023 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Brooks County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Brooks County has a moderate disaster risk level with 5 total declarations. This county has a moderate number of disaster declarations.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Brooks County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Brooks County, Georgia has an overall risk score of 42.1 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $8.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Brooks County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Brooks County is Lightning (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Moderate) and Tornado (Relatively Low). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.

Data Sources & Methodology

Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.

Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.

This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.

What this means for Brooks County

Brooks County, GA has 5 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a moderate historical disaster load, 44% above the Georgia county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 5) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Georgia overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →

Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.