Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Aquia Harbour faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aquia Harbour gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #211 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1985.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Aquia Harbour faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Aquia Harbour’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Aquia Harbour, and Aquia Harbour’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #211 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Aquia Harbour’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Aquia Harbour has more expected damage per building than 83% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Aquia Harbour: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Aquia Harbour flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aquia Harbour, from FEMA’s records: 6.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel8 claims · $76K
Aquia Harbour isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Stafford County.The storms Aquia Harbour remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Stafford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Aquia Harbour itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20039 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isabel, declared for Stafford County
- 20082 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19851 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Stafford County
Stafford County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Aquia Harbour after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Aquia Harbour archive →Get ready for what Aquia Harbour faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Aquia Harbour
Is Aquia Harbour at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aquia Harbour has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #211 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Aquia Harbour flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Aquia Harbour since 1985, $153K in all, or 6.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (8).
Is Aquia Harbour in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Stafford County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Aquia Harbour?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Aquia Harbour’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Aquia Harbour?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 8 paid, $76K.
Is Aquia Harbour at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Aquia Harbour’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aquia Harbour.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Aquia Harbour’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.