Natural hazards · Manchester

Manchester, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Manchester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Manchester?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Manchester to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding63%Earthquakes11%Hurricanes7%Tornadoes7%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Manchester faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Manchester flood?

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

23paid claims since 1979

$400Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Gloria: 1 claim, $522

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Manchester 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.

Disasters that hit Manchester

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ManchesterDeclared for Chesterfield County only

Chesterfield County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Manchester

Manchester and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Rockwoodmostly inland floodingLow

Manchestermostly inland floodingLow

Bon Airmostly inland floodingVery low

Richmondmostly 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. Manchester covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Manchester’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Manchester. 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 Manchester total about $2.5M 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.