Lake Anne Village Center Historic District · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Reston’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reston gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #44 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 14 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 Reston 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 Reston’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Reston, and Reston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
A #44 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Reston’s residents live in 21 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, Reston has less expected damage per building than 83% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.5M a year in losses across Reston: $8.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Reston flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Reston, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ernesto1 claim · $8K
Reston 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Reston
Disasters that paid out in Reston itself (aid to households or repair grants to Reston), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel12 households applied for aid$297 aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
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 Reston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Reston archive →Reston and its neighbors
Reston is 3rd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McNair | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Herndon | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Reston | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Great Falls Crossing | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Difficult Run | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Wolf Trap | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Franklin Farm | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Dranesville | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Reston 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 Reston
Is Reston at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reston has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #44 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Reston flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Reston since 1996, $98K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ernesto (1).
Is Reston 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 Reston?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Reston’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 Reston?
By FEMA money that reached Reston, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 12 households applied for aid, $297 approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ernesto: 1 paid, $8K.
Is Reston at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Reston’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Reston.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Reston’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.