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Shack MountainShack Mountain · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rio · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Rio faces less hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rio gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 76%Hurricanes 10%Earthquakes 9%

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

less than 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Virginia · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 21 declared for Albemarle County
By hazard

What Rio 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

76%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Ice storms Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Rio’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rio, and Rio’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rio sits
Rio
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Rio’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Hurricanes10%Earthquakes9%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $730K a year in losses across Rio: $631K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Rio covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Rio flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rio. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Rio 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.
Disasters

The storms Rio remembers

None of the 21 disasters declared for Albemarle County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rio itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RioAlbemarle County only

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Rio faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Rio

Is Rio at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rio has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Rio 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 Rio?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rio’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Rio at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Rio’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rio.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rio’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.