Natural disaster risk in Mathews County, Virginia
Virginia · population 8,533 · FIPS 51115
Overall: very low risk
Mathews County has a composite risk score of 12.2 out of 100 — higher than 12% of US counties. It ranks 100 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, hurricane, drought.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 4 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 78.4% of Mathews County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
Drought in Mathews 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 12.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $4.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 81.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 82.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Mathews County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 70 |
| Drought | Relatively low 48 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 31 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 26 |
| Wildfire | Very low 40 |
| Earthquake | Very low 33 |
| Heat wave | Very low 25 |
| Tornado | Very low 16 |
| Cold wave | Very low 13 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 11 |
| Hail | Very low 10 |
| Lightning | Very low 9 |
| Winter weather | Very low 5 |
| Landslide | Very low 2 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Mathews County
Federal declarations that designated Mathews County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Mathews 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 Mathews County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Mathews County as very low, with a score of 12.2 out of 100 (higher than 12% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Mathews County?
The hazards rated highest for Mathews County are coastal flooding (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low), drought (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Mathews County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Mathews County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Mathews County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Mathews 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 Mathews County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 78.4% of Mathews County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
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