Photo: Jjmusgrove · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Laurel’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laurel gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #76 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then earthquakes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 10 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 Laurel 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
Earthquakes
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’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Laurel, and Laurel’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 22% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
A #76 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Laurel’s residents live in 7 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 has less expected damage per building than 70% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Laurel: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Laurel flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laurel, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Fran1 claim · $15K
- Hurricane Isabel1 claim · $85K
Laurel isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Henrico County.The storms Laurel remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Henrico County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Laurel itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20043 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston, declared for Henrico County
- 19912 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Henrico County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Laurel after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laurel archive →Laurel and its neighbors
Laurel is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbarton | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Laurel | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Lakeside | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Glen Allen | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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
Is Laurel at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laurel has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #76 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and earthquakes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Laurel flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Laurel since 1978, $165K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Fran (1).
Is Laurel 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 Henrico County, 95% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Laurel?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laurel’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 Laurel?
By flood claims, Hurricane Fran: 1 paid, $15K.
Is Laurel at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Laurel’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laurel.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laurel’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.