Monticello · Photo: YF12s · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Pantops than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pantops gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #167 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.
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 Pantops 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 Pantops’ grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pantops, and Pantops’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #167 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pantops’ residents live in 2 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, Pantops has more expected damage per building than 66% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Pantops: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pantops flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pantops, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pantops isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Albemarle County.The storms Pantops remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Albemarle County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pantops itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20181 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Florence, declared for Albemarle County
Albemarle County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Albemarle County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Pantops after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pantops archive →Pantops and its neighbors
Pantops is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottesville | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Pantops | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Pantops 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 Pantops
Is Pantops at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pantops has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #167 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pantops flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Pantops since 2018, $67 in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Pantops 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 Albemarle County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pantops?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pantops’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pantops at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Pantops’ rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pantops.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pantops’ 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.