Photo: Nheyob · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Kings Park West faces less hazard damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kings Park West gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #148 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1978.
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 Kings Park West 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 Kings Park West’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kings Park West, and Kings Park West’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #148 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kings Park West’s residents live in 4 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, Kings Park West has more expected damage per building than 58% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Kings Park West: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kings Park West flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kings Park West, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kings Park West isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fairfax County.The storms Kings Park West remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kings Park West itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20031 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isabel, declared for Fairfax County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of The Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Fairfax County
Fairfax 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 Kings Park West after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kings Park West archive →Kings Park West and its neighbors
Kings Park West is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Mason | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Long Branch | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Burke | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Fairfax Station | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Kings Park West | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Braddock | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Kings Park West 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 Kings Park West
Is Kings Park West at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kings Park West has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #148 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kings Park West flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Kings Park West since 1978, $3K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kings Park West 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 Fairfax County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kings Park West?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kings Park West’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kings Park West at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Kings Park West’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kings Park West.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kings Park West’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.