Natural Disasters in Lexington, NC

Hazard risk, disaster history, and FEMA data

Natural Hazard Risk

Source: FEMA National Risk Index

Risk Score

87.2

Relatively Moderate

Expected Annual Loss

86.9

Score (0-100)

Social Vulnerability

42.4

Score (0-100)

Community Resilience

37.1

Score (0-100)

Top Hazard Risks

Ice Storm95.4Tornado86.9Cold Wave84.9

Hazard	Risk Score
Ice Storm	95.4
Tornado	86.9
Cold Wave	84.9
Hurricane	84.2
Strong Wind	83.5
Winter Weather	80.5
Earthquake	76.7
Hail	76.7
Lightning	69.1
Heat Wave	64.5
Landslide	63.6
Drought	58.1
Wildfire	49.6

Scores range from 0 (lowest risk) to 100 (highest risk) relative to all U.S. communities. Data from FEMA National Risk Index.

Disaster Declarations

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA

Total Declarations

Most Recent

Winter Storm

Jan 2026

Most Common Type

Hurricane

14 declarations

Date	Type	Declaration
Jan 24, 2026	Winter Storm	SEVERE WINTER STORM
Aug 6, 2024	Tropical Storm	TROPICAL STORM DEBBY
Oct 1, 2022	Hurricane	HURRICANE IAN
Mar 3, 2021	Severe Storm	TROPICAL STORM ETA
Aug 2, 2020	Hurricane	HURRICANE ISAIAS
Mar 25, 2020	Biological	COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Mar 13, 2020	Biological	COVID-19
Sep 3, 2019	Hurricane	HURRICANE DORIAN
Jan 31, 2019	Hurricane	TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL
Sep 14, 2018	Hurricane	HURRICANE FLORENCE
Sep 10, 2018	Hurricane	HURRICANE FLORENCE
Oct 7, 2016	Hurricane	HURRICANE MATTHEW
Mar 31, 2014	Severe Ice Storm	SEVERE WINTER STORM
Sep 5, 2005	Hurricane	HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION
Sep 18, 2004	Hurricane	HURRICANE IVAN
Sep 18, 2003	Hurricane	HURRICANE ISABEL
Dec 12, 2002	Severe Ice Storm	SEVERE ICE STORM
Jan 31, 2000	Severe Storm	SEVERE WINTER STORM
Sep 16, 1999	Hurricane	HURRICANE FLOYD MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATIONS
Sep 15, 1999	Hurricane	HURRICANE FLOYD EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS

Showing 20 of 28 declarations

Individual Assistance

Source: FEMA Housing Assistance

Total IA Registrations

194

Total IA Distributed

$730,530

Repair/Replace

$82,625

Rental Assistance

$8,468

Disaster	Registrations	Total IA $	Avg Damage
DR-1553	4	N/A	$553
DR-4487	127	$617,907	—
DR-1490	53	$111,574	$3,787
DR-4827	10	$1,050	—

Individual and household assistance for homeowners and renters affected by federally declared disasters.

Flood Insurance (NFIP)

Source: FEMA NFIP

Total Claims

103

Total Claims Paid

$1,706,577

Avg Claim Payout

$16,569

County-level NFIP data from FEMA National Flood Insurance Program.

Disaster Recovery Spending

Source: FEMA Public Assistance

Total Federal Spending

$4,285,034

Disasters with PA

Total Projects

Disaster	Type	Projects	Federal $
DR-1448	Severe Ice Storm	17	$1,708,576
DR-4167	Severe Ice Storm	16	$1,415,263
DR-4412	Tropical Storm	14	$719,516
DR-4393	Hurricane	15	$328,048
DR-4487	Biological	2	$67,688
DR-1312	Severe Storm(s)	5	$34,336
DR-1292	Hurricane	2	$11,606

Hazard Mitigation

Source: FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance

Mitigation Projects

Federal Funding

$10,500

Avg Benefit-Cost Ratio

0.00

BCR

Top Mitigation Project Types

Project Type	Projects	Federal $
91.1: Local Multihazard Mitigation Plan	1	$10,500
800.1: Miscellaneous	1	$0

Federally funded projects to reduce future disaster risk. Only includes completed or obligated projects.

Lexington has a relatively moderate overall natural hazard risk rating according to FEMA's National Risk Index. The top hazard risks are ice storm, tornado, cold wave. The area has had 28 federal disaster declarations. The most common disaster type is hurricane (14 declarations). 103 flood insurance claims have been filed in the area. FEMA has obligated $4,285,034 in public assistance recovery funding. $730,530 has been distributed in individual assistance to disaster-affected residents. 2 hazard mitigation projects have been funded to reduce future risk.