Natural disaster risk in Bedford County, Virginia
Virginia · population 79,441 · FIPS 51019
Overall: relatively low risk
Bedford County has a composite risk score of 51.2 out of 100 — higher than 51% of US counties. It ranks 34 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, drought, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 41 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 7.56% of Bedford County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 41 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Bedford County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 51.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $17.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 56 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 31.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 57.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Bedford County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 60 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 73 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 68 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 66 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 62 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 60 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 57 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 43 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 32 |
| Avalanche | Very low 57 |
| Heat wave | Very low 31 |
| Hail | Very low 26 |
| Tornado | Very low 25 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Bedford County
Federal declarations that designated Bedford County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Bedford County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3631-VA | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 23 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4863-VA | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 4 Apr 2025 | No |
| DR-4831-VA | Major disaster | Tropical Storm Helene | 1 Oct 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3621-VA | Emergency | Post-Tropical Cyclone Helene | 29 Sep 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Virginia, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Bedford County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Bedford County as relatively low, with a score of 51.2 out of 100 (higher than 51% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Bedford County?
The hazards rated highest for Bedford County are lightning (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Bedford County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Bedford County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Bedford County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Bedford County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Bedford County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 7.56% of Bedford County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 41 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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