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RR DepotPhoto: IxieVerns · CC BY-SA 4.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Rural Retreat · FEMA

FEMA puts Rural Retreat’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rural Retreat gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 84%Earthquakes 10%Hurricanes 2%

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 90%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 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 15 declared for Wythe County

What stands out about Rural Retreat’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 90% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Rural Retreat 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

84%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Lightning Ice storms Winter storms Cold waves Wildfire Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 44% of Rural Retreat’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Rural Retreat’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rural Retreat, and Rural Retreat’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 10% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rural Retreat sits
Rural Retreat
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Rural Retreat’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Earthquakes10%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $590K a year in losses across Rural Retreat: $220K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Rural Retreat covers 2 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 Rural Retreat flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rural Retreat. 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

Rural Retreat isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Wythe County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Rural Retreat

Disasters that paid out in Rural Retreat itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Rural Retreat), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene60 households applied for aid$155K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Rural RetreatWythe County only

Wythe County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Rural Retreat after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rural Retreat archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Rural Retreat 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 ↗
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 Rural Retreat

Is Rural Retreat at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rural Retreat has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and earthquakes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Rural Retreat 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 Wythe County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rural Retreat?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rural Retreat’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 Rural Retreat?

By FEMA money that reached Rural Retreat, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 60 households applied for aid, $155K approved.

Is Rural Retreat at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Rural Retreat’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rural Retreat.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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