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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Manchester · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Manchester than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manchester gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #113 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then earthquakes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 74%Earthquakes 12%Hurricanes 9%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#113 of 253 in Virginia
Hazard risk
A−#113 of 253
in Virginia · lower than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
23
paid since 1979 · $400K
Flood claims per home
4 per 1,000
more than 54% of U.S. towns

What stands out about Manchester’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 84% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 20048 flood claims were paid for 2004 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Manchester 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

74%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Manchester’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Manchester, and Manchester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 12% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Manchester sits
Manchester
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #113 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Manchester’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Earthquakes12%Hurricanes9%Everything else6%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Manchester has less expected damage per building than 56% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Manchester: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Manchester covers 5 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 Manchester flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Manchester, from FEMA’s records: 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 5 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 4 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 8 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198519962004
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Gloria1 claim · $522
23
paid claims since 1979
$400K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chesterfield County.
Disasters

The storms Manchester remembers

None of the 21 disasters declared for Chesterfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Manchester itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20048 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston, declared for Chesterfield County
  2. 19855 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Chesterfield County
  3. 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Fran and Associated Severe Storm Cond, declared for Chesterfield County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ManchesterChesterfield County only

Chesterfield County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Manchester archive →
Next door

Manchester and its neighbors

Manchester is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Richmond: hazard risk ARockwood: hazard risk B+Bon Air: hazard risk A−RichmondRockwoodBon AirManchester
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RichmondAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding427
Bon AirA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding3
ManchesterA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding23
RockwoodB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding—

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 Manchester 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Manchester

Is Manchester at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manchester has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #113 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and earthquakes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Manchester flood?

Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Manchester since 1979, $400K in all, or 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Gloria (1).

Is Manchester 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 Chesterfield County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Manchester?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Gloria: 1 paid, $522.

Is Manchester at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Manchester’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Manchester.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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