Natural disaster risk in Russell County, Virginia
Virginia · population 25,778 · FIPS 51167
Overall: very low risk
Russell County has a composite risk score of 36.5 out of 100 — higher than 36% of US counties. It ranks 56 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, cold wave, drought.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Russell County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 9 weeks in a row.
Drought in Russell 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 36.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $8.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 30 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 69.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 10 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Russell County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 95 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Drought | Relatively low 48 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 48 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 43 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 41 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 25 |
| Avalanche | Very low 64 |
| Earthquake | Very low 55 |
| Wildfire | Very low 54 |
| Hurricane | Very low 50 |
| Ice storm | Very low 23 |
| Hail | Very low 16 |
| Tornado | Very low 16 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Heat wave | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Russell County
Federal declarations that designated Russell County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Russell 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 Russell County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Russell County as very low, with a score of 36.5 out of 100 (higher than 36% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Russell County?
The hazards rated highest for Russell County are landslide (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate), drought (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Russell County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Russell County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Russell County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Russell 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 Russell County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Russell County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 9 weeks in a row.
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