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2015-09-24 12 09 40 Interior of the Dulles Town Center Mall in Dulles Town Center, Loudoun County, VirginiaPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dulles Town Center · FEMA

FEMA puts Dulles Town Center’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dulles Town Center gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #7 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#7 of 253 in Virginia
By hazard

What Dulles Town Center 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

72%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves 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 Dulles Town Center’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dulles Town Center, and Dulles Town Center’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Dulles Town Center sits
Dulles Town Center
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #7 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Dulles Town Center’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 flooding72%Hurricanes8%Tornadoes7%Everything else13%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Dulles Town Center has less expected damage per building than 98% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $902K a year in losses across Dulles Town Center: $720K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Dulles Town Center 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 Dulles Town Center flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dulles Town Center. 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

Dulles Town Center 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.
Disasters

The storms Dulles Town Center remembers

None of the 12 disasters declared for Loudoun County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dulles Town Center itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Dulles Town CenterLoudoun County only

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.

Next door

Dulles Town Center and its neighbors

Dulles Town Center has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Dulles Town CenterA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding0
SterlingA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding3
KincoraA+less damage than 95%river and rain flooding—
AshburnAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding—
CascadesAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Dulles Town Center 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
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 Dulles Town Center

Is Dulles Town Center at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dulles Town Center has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #7 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Dulles Town Center 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 Dulles Town Center?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dulles Town Center’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Dulles Town Center at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Dulles Town Center’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dulles Town Center.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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