Photo: Brookeln · Public domainFEMA puts Countryside’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Countryside gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #177 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.
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 Countryside 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
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 Countryside’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Countryside, and Countryside’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #177 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Countryside’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, Countryside has more expected damage per building than 70% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Countryside: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Countryside flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Countryside, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Countryside isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Loudoun County.The storms Countryside remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Loudoun County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Countryside itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20111 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Loudoun County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Countryside after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Countryside archive →Countryside and its neighbors
Countryside is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascades | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Countryside | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Countryside 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.
- 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 Countryside
Is Countryside at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Countryside has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #177 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Countryside flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Countryside since 2011, $344 in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Countryside 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 Loudoun County, 91% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Countryside?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Countryside’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Countryside at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Countryside’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Countryside.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Countryside’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.