FEMA Records
2
Total declarations
Virginia · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Bedford (city), VA
2 FEMA disaster declarations (2022–2026). Most common hazard: Winter Storm.
- 2
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- Winter Storm
- Top hazard
How does Bedford (city) County compare?
Bedford (city) County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
2 22nd percentile higher than 22% of 2,791 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-07-25
How disaster-prone is Bedford (city) County?
Declaration frequency
Bedford (city) County, Virginia has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2022 and 2026, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 0.5 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 9% below the Virginia county average of 2.2 and 48% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 2 declarations falling under this category.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Bedford (city) County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Low
vs. Virginia Avg
-9%
State avg: 2.2
vs. National Avg
-48%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Bedford (city) County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Bedford (city) County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
51515
VA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Winter Storm 1
Severe Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
Major Disaster - 1 50.0%
of all 2 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3631 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-23 |
| 4644 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-03-11 |
Storm Events in Virginia
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 11,070 | 16 | 36 | $192.1M |
| Winter Weather | 2,529 | 7 | 32 | $903.0K |
| Flash Flood | 2,519 | 15 | 5 | $263.6M |
| Flood | 2,511 | 4 | 0 | $85.2M |
| Winter Storm | 1,745 | 5 | 6 | $3.5M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
Counties with Similar Risk in Virginia
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Bedford (city) County, Virginia had?
Bedford (city) County, Virginia has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2022 to 2026. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Bedford (city) County?
The most common disaster type in Bedford (city) County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (1).
How does Bedford (city) County's disaster risk compare to the Virginia average?
Bedford (city) County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 9% lower than the Virginia county average of 2.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 48% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Bedford (city) County received?
Bedford (city) County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 50% of all 2 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Virginia?
The most common storm types in Virginia include Thunderstorm Wind (11,070 events), Winter Weather (2,529 events), Flash Flood (2,519 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Bedford (city) County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Bedford (city) County was 2022, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2022 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Bedford (city) County?
Bedford (city) County's 2 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Bedford (city)
Bedford (city), VA runs 9% below the Virginia county average for federal disaster declarations (2 vs 2), a low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 2) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Virginia overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.