FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Virginia · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Chesapeake County, VA
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2026–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 81
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Winter Storm
- Top hazard
The verdict
Chesapeake County ranks in the riskiest 19% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 0% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Low, based on 1 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2026, most often winter storm, 74% below the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 19%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 1
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 1
- winter storm declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Chesapeake County compare?
Chesapeake County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
1 0th percentile higher than 0% 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
Chesapeake County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Virginia county average
How disaster-prone is Chesapeake County?
Declaration frequency
Chesapeake County, Virginia has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2026 and 2026, of which 0 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 55% below the Virginia county average of 2.2 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 80.9/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $56.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Hurricane carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Chesapeake County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Virginia Avg
-55%
State avg: 2.2
vs. National Avg
-74%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Chesapeake County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Chesapeake 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
51550
VA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Winter Storm 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3631 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-23 |
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
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 80.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$56.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Wildfire Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Virginia
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Chesapeake County, Virginia had?
Chesapeake County, Virginia has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2026 to 2026.
What is the most common disaster type in Chesapeake County?
The most common disaster type in Chesapeake County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Chesapeake County's disaster risk compare to the Virginia average?
Chesapeake County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 55% lower than the Virginia county average of 2.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
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 is the overall disaster risk level for Chesapeake County?
Chesapeake County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Chesapeake County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Chesapeake County, Virginia has an overall risk score of 80.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $56.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Chesapeake County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Chesapeake County is Hurricane (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate) and Coastal Flooding (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
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 Chesapeake County
Chesapeake County, VA runs 55% below the Virginia county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 2), a very low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 1) - 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.