Natural hazards · Laurel

Laurel, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Laurel comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Laurel?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Laurel to be higher than in 7% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding45%Earthquakes28%Tornadoes9%Heat waves6%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Laurel faces

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

Inland flooding

45% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 8% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

28% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Laurel flood?

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

10paid claims since 1978

$165Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Fran: 1 claim, $15K
Hurricane Isabel: 1 claim, $85K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Henrico County.

Disasters that hit Laurel

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Henrico County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Laurel itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into LaurelDeclared for Henrico County only

Henrico County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Laurel

Laurel and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lakesidemostly inland floodingLow

Glen Allenmostly inland floodingVery low

Dumbartonmostly inland floodingVery low

Laurelmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Laurel covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Laurel’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Laurel. 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 Laurel total about $2.3M 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.