Buchanan, VA
Buchanan County in Virginia has 9 FEMA disaster declarations on record covering 1977–2021, most recently Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides on Oct 26, 2021 (DR-4628). Its flood risk grade is A (Low risk), ranking #173 of 3,277 U.S. counties, with 14 NFIP flood insurance claims totaling $339,330 in payouts. Flood risk is relatively low compared to the national average.
FEMA Disaster Declarations in Buchanan County
The 9 most recent federally declared disasters affecting Buchanan County, VA (1977–2021). Total declarations on record: 9.
| Declared | Incident Type | Title | FEMA Disaster # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2021 | Flood | Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4628 |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence | DR-3403 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy | DR-3359 |
| Sep 12, 2005 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | DR-3240 |
| Nov 8, 1989 | Flood | Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | DR-847 |
| May 23, 1984 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-707 |
| Jul 20, 1979 | Flood | Storms & Flash Floods | DR-593 |
| Nov 12, 1977 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-543 |
| Apr 7, 1977 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-530 |
Score Breakdown
The composite score of 20 is calculated from four weighted factors. See our methodology for details.
Other Counties in Virginia
| County | Grade | Score | Claims | Disasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | A | 20 | 13 | 10 |
| Alexandria | A | 20 | 33 | 9 |
| Henrico | B | 21 | 10 | 11 |
| Danville | A | 19 | 17 | 8 |
| Roanoke | A | 18 | 15 | 8 |
| Tazewell | A | 17 | 21 | 4 |
More Counties in Virginia
Frequently Asked Questions
How many FEMA disaster declarations does Buchanan County, VA have?
Buchanan County, VA has 9 federal disaster declarations on FEMA record (1977–2021). The 5 most recent are: Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (declared Oct 26, 2021, DR-4628); Hurricane Florence (declared Sep 11, 2018, DR-3403); Hurricane Sandy (declared Oct 29, 2012, DR-3359); Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (declared Sep 12, 2005, DR-3240); Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding (declared Nov 8, 1989, DR-847). Counts include flood, severe storm, hurricane, and coastal storm declarations from the OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries dataset.
What is the flood risk grade for Buchanan County, VA?
Buchanan County is graded A (composite score 20/100, low risk). It ranks #173 of 3,277 U.S. counties for flood risk in our scoring model. The grade combines NFIP claims density (40%), disaster frequency (25%), claim severity (20%), and year-over-year trend (15%).
How many NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Buchanan County?
14 NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Buchanan County, VA, totaling $339,330 in payouts. The average claim is $24,238. Source: FEMA FimaNfipClaims v2 dataset.
Has Buchanan County, VA had any recent flood disasters?
Yes. The most recent FEMA declaration affecting Buchanan County was Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides on Oct 26, 2021 (DR-4628). The county has 9 declared disasters in the OpenFEMA record covering 1977–2021.
The this entity record above pulls directly from FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. flood risk, NFIP claims, and disaster declarations distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA datasets, 2026.