The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Which U.S. counties are most likely to be impacted by hurricanes?
With a hectic hurricane season forecasted for this summer, LawnStarter ranked 2024's most hurricane-vulnerable counties.
The rankings considered hurricane risk assessments and anticipated financial loss from hurricanes according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It also included the past 10 years of historical storm data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and access to national disaster debris recovery facilities.
To learn how the counties are ranked, read the methodology.
County Rankings
See how the top 20 counties fared in our ranking:
No. 1: Broward County, Florida | 3 Biggest Cities: Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, and Hollywood
No. 2: Palm Beach County, Florida | 3 Biggest Cities: West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Boynton Beach
No. 3: Charleston County, South Carolina | 3 Biggest Cities: Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant
No. 4: Miami-Dade County, Florida | 3 Biggest Cities: Miami, Hialeah, and Miami Gardens
No. 5: Horry County, South Carolina | 3 Biggest Cities: Myrtle Beach, Conway, and Carolina Forest
Florida and South Carolina account for half of the 100 most hurricane-vulnerable counties.
Harris County, Texas (No. 15), home to Houston, has the highest Hurricane Risk and Expected Annual Loss from Hurricanes — over $1.15 billion, according to FEMA. However, the county ranks behind 277 counties for the overall number of hurricanes — with four total — over the past 10 years. The Houston region has a high susceptibility to flood damage and saw record levels of rainfall during Hurricane Harvey.
All counties in our ranking have some risk of hurricanes and their effects, like flooding. Of these counties, those with the lowest risk of being impacted include Kennebec County, Maine (No. 315), which scored near the bottom alongside Texas counties DeWitt (No. 316) and Bexar, home to San Antonio, in last place.
First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Most Hurricane-Vulnerable Counties. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into 4 categories: Hurricane Risk, Hurricane History, Financial Impact, and Disaster Cleanup. For each of the 317 U.S. counties with a Hurricane Risk Score determined by FEMA, we then gathered additional data on each factor from the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each county to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A county's Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked "Best" (No. 1) and the lowest "Worst" (No. 317).
Climate change is causing hurricanes to strengthen with higher ocean temperatures boosting storm intensity.
As El Niño comes to an end, weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are anticipating eight to 13 hurricanes along the Atlantic this year. As many as seven may be major (category 3–5) hurricanes.
While FEMA is incentivizing states to adopt more storm-resilient building codes, predictions show that they could run out of money for disaster relief efforts this year in the middle of hurricane season. Similar circumstances occurred last summer leading to a pause on 2,400 rebuilding projects.
With FEMA's budget stretched thin, emergency shelters may be underfunded, and rebuilding efforts could be slowed after natural disasters strike.
Do what you can to stay safe and prepared for a stormy summer with more tips below.
This story was produced by LawnStarter and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
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