Old Town Hall and School · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Haymarket than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Haymarket gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.
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 Haymarket 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 Haymarket’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Haymarket, and Haymarket’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Haymarket’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $245K a year in losses across Haymarket: $198K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Haymarket flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Haymarket, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Haymarket isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Prince William County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Haymarket
Disasters that paid out in Haymarket itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Haymarket), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$16K to the Town of Haymarket for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$2K to the Town of Haymarket for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Town of Haymarket for repairs
Prince William County has had 16 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.
Old photos of Haymarket after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Haymarket archive →Haymarket and its neighbors
Haymarket has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haymarket | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Gainesville | A−less damage than 84% | 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 Haymarket 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 Haymarket
Is Haymarket at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Haymarket has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Haymarket flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Haymarket since 2017, $2K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Haymarket 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 Prince William County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Haymarket?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Haymarket’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 Haymarket?
By FEMA money that reached Haymarket, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $16K to the Town of Haymarket for repairs.
Is Haymarket at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Haymarket’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Haymarket.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Haymarket’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.