Azurest South · Photo: AJ Belongia · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Ettrick’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ettrick gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #84 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then hurricanes (16%). 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
What Ettrick 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
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Ettrick’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ettrick, and Ettrick’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
A #84 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ettrick’s residents live in 2 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, Ettrick has less expected damage per building than 67% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Ettrick: $826K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ettrick flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ettrick. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ettrick 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ettrick
Disasters that paid out in Ettrick itself (aid to households or repair grants to Ettrick), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel29 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
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 Ettrick after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ettrick archive →Ettrick and its neighbors
Ettrick is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 84 |
| Ettrick | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Colonial Heights | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| Matoaca | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Ettrick 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Ettrick
Is Ettrick at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ettrick has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #84 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and hurricanes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Ettrick 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 Ettrick?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ettrick’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 Ettrick?
By FEMA money that reached Ettrick, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 29 households applied for aid, $14K approved.
Is Ettrick at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Ettrick’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ettrick.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ettrick’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.