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2017-06-11 18 38 43 View east along U.S. Route 460 Business (Anchorage Circle) just east of U.S. Route 460 in Grundy, Buchanan County, VirginiaPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Grundy · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Grundy

Grundy isn’t graded for hazard risk: Grundy has 872 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 100 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims
100
paid since 1978 · $1.6M
Flooded more than once
12
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
4
of 23 declared for Buchanan County
By hazard

What Grundy 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Strong wind Hurricanes Tornadoes Hail Landslides top 4% Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Grundy’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Grundy flood? Yes: 100 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grundy, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 15 claims1979: 9 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 47 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 3 claims2002: 3 claims2003: 10 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 6 claims2026: 0 claims197819842003
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Heavy rains3 claims · $21K
  • The Virginia Flash Flooding1 claim · $26K
100
paid claims since 1978
$1.6M
paid to owners
12
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Buchanan County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Grundy

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

  1. 2025Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$137K to the Town of Grundy for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,floodind, and Mudslide201 households applied for aid$200K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GrundyBuchanan County only

Buchanan County has had 23 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Buchanan County, 2001–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Grundy archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Grundy 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 ↗
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 Grundy

Does Grundy flood?

Flood insurance has paid 100 claims in Grundy since 1978, $1.6M in all. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Heavy rains (3).

Is Grundy 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 Buchanan County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Grundy?

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

By FEMA money that reached Grundy, Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,floodind, and Mudslide (2003): 201 households applied for aid, $200K approved. By flood claims, Heavy rains: 3 paid, $21K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grundy.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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