Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Falmouth’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, Falmouth gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #178 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2008.
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 Falmouth 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
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 Falmouth’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Falmouth, and Falmouth’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #178 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Falmouth’s residents live in 4 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, Falmouth has more expected damage per building than 70% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Falmouth: $921K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Falmouth flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Falmouth, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Falmouth isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Stafford County.The storms Falmouth remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Stafford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Falmouth itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20182 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Florence, declared for Stafford County
- 20081 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20141 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Stafford County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Falmouth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Falmouth archive →Falmouth and its neighbors
Falmouth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fredericksburg | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Falmouth | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Chatham Heights | — | 0 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Grafton Village | — | 0 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Leeland Station | — | 0 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Falmouth 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.
- 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 Falmouth
Is Falmouth at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Falmouth has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #178 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Falmouth flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Falmouth since 2008, $40K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Falmouth 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 Stafford County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Falmouth?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Falmouth’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Falmouth at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Falmouth’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Falmouth.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Falmouth’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.