Natural hazards · Wakefield

Wakefield, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wakefield 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 Wakefield?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wakefield to be higher than in 15% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes11%Earthquakes8%Heat waves5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Wakefield faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Earthquakes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

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 Wakefield flood?

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

10paid claims since 1978

$151Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $9K
Hurricane Gloria: 1 claim, $52K
Hurricane Fran: 1 claim, $20K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Wakefield 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 Wakefield

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WakefieldDeclared for Fairfax County only

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

Around Wakefield

Wakefield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Wakefieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Annandalemostly inland floodingVery low

Ravensworthmostly inland floodingVery low

Kings Parkmostly inland floodingVery low

Long Branchmostly inland floodingVery low

Woodburnmostly 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. Wakefield covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wakefield’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Wakefield. 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 Wakefield total about $3.2M 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.