Bellevue Rural Historic District (Additional Documentation) · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Forest’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Forest gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #58 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1985.
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 Forest 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 Forest’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Forest, and Forest’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
A #58 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Forest’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, Forest has less expected damage per building than 77% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Forest: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Forest flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Forest, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Forest isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bedford County.The storms Forest remembers
None of the 25 disasters declared for Bedford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Forest itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19851 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bedford County
- 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20191 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bedford County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Forest after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Forest archive →Forest and its neighbors
Forest is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timberlake | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Forest | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lynchburg | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
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 Forest 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 Forest
Is Forest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Forest has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #58 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Forest flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Forest since 1985, $35K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Forest 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 Bedford County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Forest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Forest’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Forest at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Forest’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Forest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Forest’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.