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2019-07-22 15 54 55 View south along Virginia State Route 234 (Dumfries Road) toward the Potomac River from an airplane heading for Washington Dulles International Airport passing over Independent Hill, Prince William County, VirginiaPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Independent Hill · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Independent Hill faces less hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Independent Hill gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #139 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2021.

River and rain flooding 81%Hurricanes 8%Tornadoes 4%

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 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#139 of 253 in Virginia
Hazard risk
A−#139 of 253
in Virginia · lower than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2021 · $11K
Flood claims per home
0 per 1,000
fewer than 94% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Independent Hill 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

81%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 9% of Independent Hill’s expected losses. Heat 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 Independent Hill’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Independent Hill, and Independent Hill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Independent Hill sits
Independent Hill
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #139 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Independent Hill’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Hurricanes8%Tornadoes4%Everything else8%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Independent Hill has more expected damage per building than 55% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Independent Hill: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Independent Hill covers 3 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 Independent Hill flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2021

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Independent Hill, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2021
20212026
1
paid claims since 2021
$11K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Independent Hill 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.
Disasters

The storms Independent Hill remembers

None of the 16 disasters declared for Prince William County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Independent Hill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20211 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Independent HillPrince William County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Independent Hill archive →
Next door

Independent Hill and its neighbors

Independent Hill is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Montclair: hazard risk B+Dale City: hazard risk AMontclairDale CityIndependent Hill
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Dale CityAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding10
Independent HillA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding1
MontclairB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding11

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Independent Hill 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 Independent Hill

Is Independent Hill at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Independent Hill has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #139 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Independent Hill flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Independent Hill since 2021, $11K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Independent Hill 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 Independent Hill?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Independent Hill’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Independent Hill at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Independent Hill’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Independent Hill.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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