Photo: Mojo Hand · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Nellysford faces more hazard damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nellysford gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Nellysford 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
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 Nellysford’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nellysford, and Nellysford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Cold waves add 1%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Nellysford’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Nellysford: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Nellysford flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Nellysford. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Nellysford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nelson County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Nellysford
Disasters that paid out in Nellysford itself (aid to households or repair grants to Nellysford), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Nelson County has had 22 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Nelson County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Nellysford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Nellysford archive →Nellysford and its neighbors
Nellysford has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nellysford | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Wintergreen | — | 589 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Nellysford 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.
- 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 Nellysford
Is Nellysford at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nellysford has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Nellysford 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 Nelson County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Nellysford?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Nellysford’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 Nellysford?
By FEMA money that reached Nellysford, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 2 households applied for aid, $2K approved.
Is Nellysford at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Nellysford’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nellysford.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Nellysford’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.