Bon Air Historic District · Photo: User: Morgan Riley · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Bon Air’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bon Air gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #111 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then earthquakes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979.
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 Bon Air 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
Earthquakes
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 Bon Air’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bon Air, and Bon Air’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 15% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #111 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bon Air’s residents live in 5 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, Bon Air has less expected damage per building than 56% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Bon Air: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bon Air flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bon Air, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bon Air isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chesterfield County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bon Air
Disasters that paid out in Bon Air itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bon Air), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Chesterfield County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bon Air after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bon Air archive →Bon Air and its neighbors
Bon Air is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 427 |
| Bon Air | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Manchester | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Bon Air 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Bon Air
Is Bon Air at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bon Air has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #111 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and earthquakes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bon Air flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Bon Air since 1979, $16K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bon Air 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 Chesterfield County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bon Air?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bon Air’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 Bon Air?
By FEMA money that reached Bon Air, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 3 households applied for aid, $1K approved.
Is Bon Air at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Bon Air’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bon Air.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bon Air’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.