Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Woodlawn 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, Woodlawn gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #197 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979.
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 Woodlawn 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 Woodlawn’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodlawn, and Woodlawn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
B #197 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodlawn’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, Woodlawn has more expected damage per building than 78% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Woodlawn: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodlawn flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Woodlawn, 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.
Woodlawn 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 Woodlawn remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Woodlawn itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of The Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Fairfax County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19821 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 Woodlawn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodlawn archive →Woodlawn and its neighbors
Woodlawn is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Belvoir | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mount Vernon | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Groveton | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Woodlawn | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Hybla Valley | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Woodlawn 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 Woodlawn
Is Woodlawn at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodlawn has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #197 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Woodlawn flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Woodlawn since 1979, $46K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Woodlawn 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 Woodlawn?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodlawn’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Woodlawn at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Woodlawn’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodlawn.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodlawn’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.