Natural disaster risk in Essex County, Virginia
Virginia · population 10,595 · FIPS 51057
Overall: very low risk
Essex County has a composite risk score of 18.6 out of 100 — higher than 18% of US counties. It ranks 81 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, hurricane, coastal flooding.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 78.2% of Essex County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Essex 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. |
Very low 18.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $5.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 14.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 72.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 49.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Essex County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 94 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 80 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 55 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 30 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 22 |
| Earthquake | Very low 43 |
| Landslide | Very low 40 |
| Heat wave | Very low 27 |
| Tornado | Very low 22 |
| Hail | Very low 16 |
| Lightning | Very low 15 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 10 |
| Wildfire | Very low 10 |
| Winter weather | Very low 10 |
| Cold wave | Very low 6 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Essex County
Federal declarations that designated Essex County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Essex County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration 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 |
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 Essex County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Essex County as very low, with a score of 18.6 out of 100 (higher than 18% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Essex County?
The hazards rated highest for Essex County are drought (relatively high), hurricane (relatively low), coastal flooding (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Essex County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Essex County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Essex County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Essex County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Essex County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 78.2% of Essex County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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