Photo: User:AlbertHerring · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Laurel Hill than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laurel Hill gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #169 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.
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 Laurel 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
Hurricanes
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 Laurel Hill’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Laurel Hill, and Laurel Hill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #169 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Laurel Hill’s residents live in 3 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, Laurel Hill has more expected damage per building than 67% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Laurel Hill: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Laurel Hill flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laurel Hill, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Laurel 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: Fairfax County.The storms Laurel Hill remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Laurel Hill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20081 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of The Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Fairfax County
- 20241 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Laurel Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laurel Hill archive →Laurel Hill and its neighbors
Laurel Hill is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newington Forest | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Crosspointe | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Laurel Hill | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lorton | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Occoquan | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Laurel 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.
- 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.
- 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 Laurel Hill
Is Laurel Hill at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laurel Hill has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #169 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Laurel Hill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Laurel Hill since 2008, $18K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Laurel 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 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 Laurel Hill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laurel Hill’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Laurel Hill at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Laurel Hill’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laurel Hill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laurel 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.