Photo: Elvert Barnes · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in McNair than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McNair gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #25 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then hurricanes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 McNair 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 McNair’s grade
River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in McNair, and McNair’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #25 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
McNair’s residents live in 6 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, McNair has less expected damage per building than 90% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across McNair: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does McNair flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in McNair. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
McNair 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 McNair remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching McNair itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
McNair and its neighbors
McNair is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchison | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| McNair | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Herndon | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Reston | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Floris | Aless damage than 88% | 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.
Get ready for what McNair 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 McNair
Is McNair at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McNair has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #25 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and hurricanes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is McNair 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 McNair?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McNair’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is McNair at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and McNair’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McNair.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McNair’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.