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Independence va couthhouse during 4thJuly 2006Photo: LR6 at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Independence · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Independence than in 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Independence gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 88%Earthquakes 4%Tornadoes 3%

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

less than 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Virginia · lower than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Grayson County

What stands out about Independence’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.5% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Independence 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Wildfire Hail Landslides top 2% Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 41% of Independence’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Independence’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Independence, and Independence’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Independence sits
Independence
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Independence’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Earthquakes4%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $407K a year in losses across Independence: $187K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Tropical Storm Helene in 2024, FEMA took 414 aid registrations from Independence addresses (the town has 568 homes).
A small-area figure. Independence covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Independence flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Independence. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Grayson County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Independence

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

  1. 2025Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$18K to the Town of Independence for repairs
  2. 2024Tropical Storm Helene414 households applied for aid$715K aid approved$85K to the Town of Independence for repairs
  3. 2018Hurricane Florence$4K to the Town of Independence for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in IndependenceGrayson County only

Grayson County has had 17 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Independence archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Independence 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 Independence

Is Independence at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Independence has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Independence 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 Grayson County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Independence?

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

By FEMA money that reached Independence, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 414 households applied for aid, $715K approved, and $85K to the Town of Independence for repairs.

Is Independence at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Independence’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Independence.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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