Natural disaster risk in Richmond County, Virginia
Virginia · population 8,918 · FIPS 51159
Overall: very low risk
Richmond County has a composite risk score of 10.4 out of 100 — higher than 10% of US counties. It ranks 103 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, 100% of Richmond 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 Richmond 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 10.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $3.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 7.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 73.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 63.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Richmond County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 79 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 48 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 30 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 29 |
| Landslide | Very low 34 |
| Earthquake | Very low 33 |
| Heat wave | Very low 25 |
| Tornado | Very low 20 |
| Winter weather | Very low 14 |
| Lightning | Very low 11 |
| Hail | Very low 10 |
| Cold wave | Very low 7 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 7 |
| Wildfire | Very low 4 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Richmond County
Federal declarations that designated Richmond County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Richmond 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 Richmond County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Richmond County as very low, with a score of 10.4 out of 100 (higher than 10% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Richmond County?
The hazards rated highest for Richmond County are drought (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low), coastal flooding (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Richmond County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Richmond 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 Richmond County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Richmond 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 Richmond County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Richmond 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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