Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Woodburn faces less hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodburn gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #26 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1989.
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 Woodburn 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 Woodburn’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodburn, and Woodburn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #26 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodburn’s 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, Woodburn has less expected damage per building than 90% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Woodburn: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodburn flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Woodburn, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Fran1 claim · $2K
Woodburn 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.The storms Woodburn remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Woodburn itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20062 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Fairfax County
- 20182 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Florence, declared for Fairfax County
- 19891 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county 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 Woodburn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodburn archive →Woodburn and its neighbors
Woodburn is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrifield | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Woodburn | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Annandale | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Wakefield | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Mantua | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Woodburn 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 Woodburn
Is Woodburn at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodburn has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #26 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Woodburn flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Woodburn since 1989, $354K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Fran (1).
Is Woodburn 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 Woodburn?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodburn’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 Woodburn?
By flood claims, Hurricane Fran: 1 paid, $2K.
Is Woodburn at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Woodburn’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodburn.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodburn’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.