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DublinVATrainStationPhoto: DwayneP at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dublin · FEMA

FEMA puts Dublin’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dublin gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #149 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 91%Earthquakes 5%Tornadoes 1%

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 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#149 of 253 in Virginia
Hazard risk
A−#149 of 253
in Virginia · lower than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 18 declared for Pulaski County
By hazard

What Dublin 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

91%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hurricanes Hail Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Dublin’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Dublin’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dublin, and Dublin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 5% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Dublin sits
Dublin
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #149 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Dublin’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Earthquakes5%Everything else4%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Dublin has more expected damage per building than 59% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $610K a year in losses across Dublin: $494K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Dublin covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Dublin flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dublin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Dublin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Pulaski County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dublin

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene76 households applied for aid$113K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,floodind, and Mudslide1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DublinPulaski County only

Pulaski County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Dublin archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Dublin 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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.
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 Dublin

Is Dublin at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dublin has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #149 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%) and earthquakes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Dublin 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 Pulaski County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dublin?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dublin’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 Dublin?

By FEMA money that reached Dublin, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 76 households applied for aid, $113K approved.

Is Dublin at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Dublin’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dublin.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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