FEMA NRI | Guidance on Risk, Resilience, and Vulnerability Indices

Description

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) is an online tool to help illustrate the nation's communities most at risk of natural hazards. It incorporates three datasets (SVI, BRIC, and Expected Annual Loss) to determine an overall risk percentage as well as risk percentages for 18 of the USA's most common natural hazards.

Analysis

The NRI uses social impact data from the CDC's SVI index and the University of South Carolina's BRIC index for community resilience with potential economic loss impact estimates related to the built environment and/or agricultural properties to display each community's risk from 18 of the most impactful natural hazards.

For what level of government would this index be most useful?

Due to its level of granularity (census tract), this data should be useful at all levels of government:

Federal
Tribal (usability is dependent on the size of the tribal geography)
State
Regional (intrastate region)
County
Local/Municipal*

*Note that in rural communities census tracts tend to be quite large and may encompass multiple communities. In some regions, multiple municipalities may be included within the census tract, which will not yield meaningful results.

Click on the map to the right to explore NRI in your community.

Data Access

Downloadable: Yes; and you may open the feature layer in ArcGIS Pro.

Download Location: https://hazards.geoplatform.gov/portal/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=ddf915a24fb24dc8863eed96bc3345f8

Available on AGOL: Yes, the Census Tract Feature Layer is available here:

https://hazards.geoplatform.gov/portal/home/item.html?id=e632a0478bfb4df3987ce9bec88605d2

The County Feature Layer is available here:

https://hazards.geoplatform.gov/portal/home/item.html?id=cf60c608803e4ccd87ca13cbe40d9151

Context

Why was the index developed?

To help illustrate the nation's communities most at risk of natural hazards.

Who is the data steward's intended audience?

Local, State, and Federal Government, Emergency Planning Personnel

How does the data steward envision that data be used?

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) is easy to use and can support prioritizing resilience efforts by providing an at-a-glance overview of multiple risk factors. The NRI can assist communities in:

Updating emergency operations plans
Enhancing hazard mitigation plans
Prioritizing and allocating resources
Identifying the need for more refined risk assessments
Encouraging community-level risk communication and engagement
Educating homeowners and renters
Supporting adoption of enhanced codes and standards
Informing long-term community recovery

What are the known limitations of this index?

Utilizes uniform formulas and variables across the coverage area; it does not consider community-specific variables.
The interpretation is limited to the variable included in the analysis.
Provides a single snapshot of a community. Multiple events and duration of events may further impact a community’s vulnerability at a given time.
The resulting index is only as relevant as the underlying datasets and the date at which the index was compiled. Further, the relevancy dates of the underlying datasets could be a limitation.