What does a GCHS of 82.7/100 mean for DeKalb County?

A GCHS of 82.7/100 places DeKalb County in the "Very High" band. Counties in this band typically face elevated natural hazard losses and may have restricted insurance availability or higher premiums for hazard-specific coverage. Key risk drivers include the county's Expected Annual Loss rank (89.1/100) and Social Vulnerability rank (81.6/100).

Which natural hazards most affect DeKalb County?

The GCHS is computed from FEMA's Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score, which aggregates 18 natural hazard types: hurricanes, riverine flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, hail, drought, winter weather, lightning, strong wind, coastal flooding, cold wave, heat wave, ice storm, landslide, avalanche, tsunami and volcanic activity. DeKalb County's EAL rank is 89.1/100 — very high, suggesting substantial exposure to one or more of these hazards.

What is the FEMA National Risk Index?

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) is a publicly available dataset produced by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency that measures the risk of natural hazards for every US county and census tract. It combines 18 natural hazard types, community social vulnerability and community resilience into a single expected-loss-based risk score. Gera computes the GCHS from the NRI's county-level EAL, SOVI and RESL percentile scores using a documented formula.

How does DeKalb County compare to the national average?

The national mean GCHS across the 480 most-populous US counties is 66.1/100. DeKalb County scores 82.7/100, which is 16.6 points above the national mean. FEMA's own risk rating for this county is "Relatively Moderate".

GeraSure / County Hazard Risk / DeKalb, GA

DeKalb County, Georgia: Natural Hazard Risk

Gera County Hazard Score: 82.7/100 (Very High) · FEMA Rating: Relatively Moderate · Population: 763,614. Based on FEMA National Risk Index (November 2023).

Reference period: November 2023· FEMA National Risk Index · US Government public domain · FIPS 13089

What is the natural hazard risk for DeKalb County, Georgia?

DeKalb County, Georgia has a Gera County Hazard Score (GCHS) of 82.7/100 (Very High), based on FEMA National Risk Index November 2023 data. Its Expected Annual Loss rank is 89.1/100, social vulnerability rank 81.6/100 and community resilience rank 31.5/100, covering a population of 763,614.

Source:FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) — Harvard Dataverse·as of November 2023updated annually (last: 20 June 2026)

Gera County Hazard Score82.7 / 100Very High hazard level — DeKalb County, Georgia (November 2023 FEMA NRI)How this index is calculated

GCHS components — DeKalb County (November 2023)

Gera County Hazard Score components — DeKalb County, Georgia (FEMA NRI November 2023)
Component	Score / 100	GCHS Weight	Contribution	What it measures
Expected Annual Loss (EAL)	89.1	50%	44.5	Estimated annual losses from 18 natural hazards
Social Vulnerability (SOVI)	81.6	30%	24.5	Community factors affecting disaster response capacity
Lack of Resilience (100 − RESL)	69	20%	13.7	Resilience score 31.5/100 → inverted so higher = more hazard
Gera County Hazard Score (GCHS)	82.7	100%	82.7	Very High — composite index

GCHS = 0.50 × 89.1 + 0.30 × 81.6 + 0.20 × (100 − 31.5) = 82.7. All inputs are FEMA NRI percentile ranks 0–100.

DeKalb County Hazard Checker

Explore what the GCHS means for insurance and disaster preparedness in this county.

Gera County Hazard Score (GCHS)

82.7/ 100Very High

What this means for insurance

Counties with a Very High GCHS typically see elevated home insurance premiums and may have limited coverage availability for specific hazard types. Comparing quotes is especially important here.

GCHS is computed by Gera from FEMA NRI data. It is a risk-context index — not an insurance premium quote. Actual premiums depend on your specific property and chosen coverage.

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DeKalb County hazard risk: frequently asked questions

What does a GCHS of 82.7/100 mean for DeKalb County?: A GCHS of 82.7/100 places DeKalb County in the "Very High" band. Counties in this band typically face elevated natural hazard losses and may have restricted insurance availability or higher premiums for hazard-specific coverage. Key risk drivers include the county's Expected Annual Loss rank (89.1/100) and Social Vulnerability rank (81.6/100).
Which natural hazards most affect DeKalb County?: The GCHS is computed from FEMA's Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score, which aggregates 18 natural hazard types: hurricanes, riverine flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, hail, drought, winter weather, lightning, strong wind, coastal flooding, cold wave, heat wave, ice storm, landslide, avalanche, tsunami and volcanic activity. DeKalb County's EAL rank is 89.1/100 — very high, suggesting substantial exposure to one or more of these hazards.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index?: The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) is a publicly available dataset produced by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency that measures the risk of natural hazards for every US county and census tract. It combines 18 natural hazard types, community social vulnerability and community resilience into a single expected-loss-based risk score. Gera computes the GCHS from the NRI's county-level EAL, SOVI and RESL percentile scores using a documented formula.
How does DeKalb County compare to the national average?: The national mean GCHS across the 480 most-populous US counties is 66.1/100. DeKalb County scores 82.7/100, which is 16.6 points above the national mean. FEMA's own risk rating for this county is "Relatively Moderate".

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Contains public sector information published by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and licensed under the US Government open data, public domain. Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) — Harvard Dataverse (November 2023, published 2024).

Full GCHS formula and verification: Gera County Hazard Score methodology.