Natural hazards · Colonial Beach

Colonial Beach, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Colonial Beach comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 73 claims here since 1985. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Colonial Beach?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Colonial Beach to be higher than in 51% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes39%Inland flooding37%Coastal flooding7%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Colonial Beach faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

39% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Inland flooding

37% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 24% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Coastal flooding

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Colonial Beach flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Colonial Beach, from FEMA’s records.

73paid claims since 1985

$3.6Mpaid to owners

16homes flooded more than once

19852026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Isabel: 34 claims, $2.8M
Tropical Storm Ernesto: 18 claims, $387K
Hurricane Fran: 9 claims, $262K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Colonial Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Westmoreland County.

Disasters that hit Colonial Beach

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Colonial Beach itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Colonial Beach.

Brought FEMA money into Colonial BeachDeclared for Westmoreland County only

2011

Hurricane Irene

$23K to the Town of Colonial Beach for repairs

2006

Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms and Flooding

$90K to the Town of Colonial Beach for repairs

2003

Hurricane Isabel

219 households applied for aid $148K aid approved $448K to the Town of Colonial Beach for repairs

1999

Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations

$12K to the Town of Colonial Beach for repairs

Westmoreland County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Colonial Beach covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Colonial Beach’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Colonial Beach. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Colonial Beach total about $1.3M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.