Natural disaster risk in Orange County, Virginia
Virginia · population 36,205 · FIPS 51137
Overall: very low risk
Orange County has a composite risk score of 25.6 out of 100 — higher than 25% of US counties. It ranks 68 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, hurricane, earthquake.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Orange County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
Drought in Orange 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 25.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $11.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 39.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 12.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 42.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Orange County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 76 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 61 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 46 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 42 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 40 |
| Hail | Relatively low 37 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 35 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 27 |
| Landslide | Very low 33 |
| Wildfire | Very low 30 |
| Tornado | Very low 25 |
| Ice storm | Very low 22 |
| Cold wave | Very low 8 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Orange County
Federal declarations that designated Orange County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Orange 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 Orange County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Orange County as very low, with a score of 25.6 out of 100 (higher than 25% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Orange County?
The hazards rated highest for Orange County are drought (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low), earthquake (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Orange County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Orange County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Orange County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Orange 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 Orange County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Orange County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.
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