Ben Lomond · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Sudley faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sudley gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #222 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1978.
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 Sudley 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 Sudley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sudley, and Sudley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #222 of 253 in Virginia; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sudley’s residents live in 4 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, Sudley has more expected damage per building than 88% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Sudley: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sudley flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sudley, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sudley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Prince William County.The storms Sudley remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Prince William County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sudley itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20202 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Prince William 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 Sudley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sudley archive →Sudley and its neighbors
Sudley has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sudley | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Bull Run | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Loch Lomond | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
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 Sudley 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 Sudley
Is Sudley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sudley has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #222 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sudley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Sudley since 1978, $42K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sudley 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 Prince William County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sudley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sudley’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sudley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Sudley’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sudley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sudley’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.