Beach Station · Photo: James Shelton32 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Brandermill as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brandermill gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #220 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 5 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 Brandermill 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 Brandermill’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brandermill, and Brandermill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 7% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #220 of 253 in Virginia; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brandermill’s residents live in 4 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, Brandermill has more expected damage per building than 87% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Brandermill: $3.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brandermill flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brandermill, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Brandermill 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.The storms Brandermill remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Chesterfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brandermill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20204 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Brandermill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brandermill archive →Brandermill and its neighbors
Brandermill is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlothian | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Woodlake | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brandermill | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Brandermill 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 Brandermill
Is Brandermill at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brandermill has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #220 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Brandermill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Brandermill since 1979, $77K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Brandermill 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 Brandermill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brandermill’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Brandermill at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Brandermill’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brandermill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brandermill’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.