Photo: The original uploader was Ser Amantio di Nicolao at English Wikipedia. · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Mount Vernon than in 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Vernon gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #181 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 26 claims here since 1996.
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 stands out about Mount Vernon’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Mount Vernon 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 Mount Vernon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Vernon, and Mount Vernon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #181 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mount Vernon’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, Mount Vernon has more expected damage per building than 71% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Mount Vernon: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Vernon flood? Sometimes: 26 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Vernon, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel3 claims · $32K
- Tropical Storm Bill2 claims · $4K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
Mount Vernon 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 Mount Vernon remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mount Vernon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of The Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Fairfax County
- 20174 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20033 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isabel, 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 Mount Vernon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Vernon archive →Mount Vernon and its neighbors
Mount Vernon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Belvoir | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mount Vernon | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Woodlawn | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Hybla Valley | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Fort Hunt | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
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 Mount Vernon 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 Mount Vernon
Is Mount Vernon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Vernon has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #181 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and hurricanes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mount Vernon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 26 claims in Mount Vernon since 1996, $316K in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (3).
Is Mount Vernon 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 Mount Vernon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Vernon’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 Mount Vernon?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 3 paid, $32K.
Is Mount Vernon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Mount Vernon’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Vernon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Vernon’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.