FEMA Records
6
Total declarations
South Carolina · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Charleston County, SC
6 FEMA disaster declarations (2022–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 6
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 99
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Charleston County ranks in the riskiest 1% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 80% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively High, based on 6 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2022, most often hurricane, 56% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 1%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 6
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 3
- hurricane declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Charleston County compare?
Charleston County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
6 Top 20% higher than 80% of 2,791 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-07-25
Charleston County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the South Carolina county average
How disaster-prone is Charleston County?
Declaration frequency
Charleston County, South Carolina has recorded 6 FEMA disaster declarations between 2022 and 2026, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.5 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 20% below the South Carolina county average of 7.5 and 56% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 3 of 6 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 98.6/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $499.8M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Coastal Flooding stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators put Charleston County at a moderate relative risk level, not the calmest county on record, but not among the most disaster-prone either.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. South Carolina Avg
-20%
State avg: 7.5
vs. National Avg
+56%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
1.5
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Charleston County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Charleston 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. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
45019
SC state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 3
Tropical Storm 2
Winter Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 5 83.3%
of all 6 declarations
Major Disaster - 1 16.7%
of all 6 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3632 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-23 |
| 3619 | HURRICANE HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-26 |
| 3606 | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-05 |
| 3597 | HURRICANE IDALIA | EM | Hurricane | 2023-08-31 |
| 4677 | HURRICANE IAN | DR | Hurricane | 2022-11-21 |
| 3585 | HURRICANE IAN | EM | Hurricane | 2022-09-29 |
Storm Events in South Carolina
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,973 | 12 | 43 | $12.4M |
| Hail | 1,449 | 0 | 0 | $25.1M |
| Flash Flood | 1,125 | 20 | 35 | $151.3M |
| Strong Wind | 470 | 4 | 13 | $776.3K |
| Tornado | 359 | 9 | 112 | $127.4M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 98.6/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$499.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Coastal Flooding Very High
Hurricane Very High
Earthquake Relatively High
Ice Storm Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Drought Relatively 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 South Carolina
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Charleston County, South Carolina had?
Charleston County, South Carolina has received 6 FEMA disaster declarations from 2022 to 2026. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Charleston County?
The most common disaster type in Charleston County is Hurricane, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Tropical Storm (2), Winter Storm (1).
How does Charleston County's disaster risk compare to the South Carolina average?
Charleston County has 6 disaster declarations, which is 20% lower than the South Carolina county average of 7.5 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 56% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Charleston County received?
Charleston County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 17% of all 6 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in South Carolina?
The most common storm types in South Carolina include Thunderstorm Wind (6,973 events), Hail (1,449 events), Flash Flood (1,125 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Charleston County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Charleston County was 2023, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2022 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Charleston County?
With 6 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Charleston County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Charleston County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Charleston County, South Carolina has an overall risk score of 98.6 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $499.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Charleston County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Charleston County is Coastal Flooding (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Very High) and Earthquake (Relatively High). 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 Charleston County
Charleston County, SC runs 20% below the South Carolina county average for federal disaster declarations (6 vs 8), a moderate historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (5 of 6) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. South Carolina 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
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 national statistics report, or report a data error.