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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bridgewater · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Bridgewater as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgewater gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #216 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 39 claims here since 1985.

River and rain flooding 90%Earthquakes 4%Hurricanes 3%

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

less than 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#216 of 253 in Virginia
Hazard risk
B−#216 of 253
in Virginia · lower than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
39
paid since 1985 · $426K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Flood insurance
10% off
Community discount (class 8)

What stands out about Bridgewater’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

10% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Bridgewater residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8).Remembers 199631 flood claims were paid for 1996 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Bridgewater 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

90%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Tornadoes Hail Winter storms Strong wind Cold waves top 2% Lightning Ice storms Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bridgewater’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bridgewater, and Bridgewater’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bridgewater sits
Bridgewater
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #216 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Bridgewater’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Earthquakes4%Hurricanes3%Everything else3%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bridgewater has more expected damage per building than 85% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Bridgewater: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bridgewater’s 6,596 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bridgewater flood? Sometimes: 39 flood claims since 1985

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bridgewater, from FEMA’s records: 17.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1985: 6 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 31 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198519871996
19852026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Fran29 claims · $377K
  • Hurricane Isabel1 claim · $3K
39
paid claims since 1985
$426K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount10% off flood insurance

Bridgewater is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Rockingham County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bridgewater

Disasters that paid out in Bridgewater itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bridgewater), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$28K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs
  2. 2003Hurricane Isabel6 households applied for aid$381 aid approved$6K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BridgewaterRockingham County only

Rockingham County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Rockingham County, 2011–2011.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bridgewater after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bridgewater archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bridgewater faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
  • Bridgewater residents get 10% off flood insurance.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Bridgewater

Is Bridgewater at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgewater has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #216 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Bridgewater flood?

Flood insurance has paid 39 claims in Bridgewater since 1985, $426K in all, or 17.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Fran (29).

Is Bridgewater 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 Rockingham County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bridgewater?

Bridgewater is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Bridgewater?

By FEMA money that reached Bridgewater, Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds (2012): $28K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Fran: 29 paid, $377K.

Is Bridgewater at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Bridgewater’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bridgewater.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bridgewater’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.