Eppington · Photo: James Shelton32 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Woodlake 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, Woodlake gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #212 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Woodlake 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
Earthquakes
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 Woodlake’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodlake, and Woodlake’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 7% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #212 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodlake’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, Woodlake has more expected damage per building than 84% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Woodlake: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodlake flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Woodlake. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Woodlake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chesterfield County.The storms Woodlake remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Chesterfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Woodlake itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Chesterfield County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Woodlake and its neighbors
Woodlake has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodlake | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Brandermill | B−more damage than 52% | 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 Woodlake 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Woodlake
Is Woodlake at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodlake has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #212 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Woodlake 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 Chesterfield County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Woodlake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodlake’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Woodlake at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Woodlake’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodlake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodlake’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.