Natural hazards · Merrifield

Merrifield, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Merrifield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Merrifield?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Merrifield to be higher than in 6% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding60%Hurricanes12%Heat waves8%Earthquakes6%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Merrifield faces

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

Inland flooding

60% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 13% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Heat waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Merrifield flood?

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

3paid claims since 1979

$9Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Merrifield 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.

Disasters that hit Merrifield

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MerrifieldDeclared for Fairfax County only

Fairfax County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

Around Merrifield

Merrifield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Mantuamostly inland floodingLow

Dunn Loringmostly inland floodingVery low

Oaktonmostly inland floodingVery low

West Falls Churchmostly inland floodingVery low

Fairfaxmostly inland floodingVery low

Idylwoodmostly inland floodingVery low

Woodburnmostly inland floodingVery low

Merrifieldmostly 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. Merrifield covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Merrifield’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Merrifield. 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 Merrifield total about $2.7M 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.