Disaster Data / States / Virginia / Buchanan County
CountyBuchanan County recorded 17 federal disaster and emergency declarations since FY2000 (through FY2025): 12 major disasters, 4 emergencies, and 1 fire-management declarations. Its most common hazard is severe storm.
Highlighted: Buchanan County, VA
Totals: FY2000–FY2025 · Page last rebuilt Sep 12, 2026 · the current in-progress fiscal year is not included in totals
The federal disaster record for Buchanan County runs between 2000 and 2025, covering 17 declarations in all. Its most recent major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms And Flooding in 2025. The hazards behind these declarations were most often severe storm, biological, and tropical storm. Since 2000, FEMA has obligated about $7.4 million in Public Assistance funding to the jurisdiction, most of it for roads and bridges.
Historical declarations show what has happened here. These national datasets add context about underlying natural-hazard risk and community vulnerability.
Approximately 59.8% of U.S. counties have an equal or lower overall SVI ranking.
Higher percentiles indicate greater relative social vulnerability within the CDC SVI framework. CDC SVI documentation
The NRI combines expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience to describe relative natural-hazard risk. FEMA NRI documentation
Federal share obligated to this jurisdiction under FEMA Public Assistance since 2000, grouped by damage category. Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar and reflect obligations, which may change as projects close out.
| Category | Projects | Federal share obligated |
|---|---|---|
| Roads and bridges(C) | 170 | $2,698,968 |
| Debris removal(A) | 13 | $2,011,992 |
| Buildings and equipment(E) | 19 | $776,788 |
| Emergency protective measures(B) | 27 | $775,665 |
| Utilities(F) | 9 | $517,236 |
| Parks and recreation(G) | 7 | $514,710 |
| Management costs(Z) | 3 | $98,564 |
| Water control facilities(D) | 1 | $0 |
| All categories | 249 | $7,393,923 |
For each disaster, the wait from the declaration to the first federal obligation (amber), then the federal share obligating after that (teal), on a shared 5-year scale. Typical wait to the first obligation here: about 144 days. An obligation is the federal share committed to the recipient state, not funds disbursed to the locality, which comes later and is not shown.
FEMA Individual Assistance to households in this jurisdiction, combined across the Housing Assistance owner and renter programs. Valid registrations are households that applied within a designated Individual Assistance area; approved counts and dollars are the households FEMA found eligible under the Individuals and Households Program. Figures are self-reported and drawn from NEMIS through OpenFEMA, not audited, and Individual Assistance exists only for disasters where it was designated, so many jurisdictions show none.
| Assistance type | Approved amount |
|---|---|
| Repair and replacement | $770,983 |
| Rental assistance | $85,948 |
| Other needs | $414,569 |
Emergency declarations issued by the governor of this state, which are separate from and usually precede a federal declaration. A declaration is listed here when NOAA Storm Events recorded reports of the matched hazard in this jurisdiction while the order was in effect. That is evidence of local impact during a declared state emergency. It is not a statement that the governor named this jurisdiction in the order, since most state declarations apply statewide and name no localities at all. Hazard categories come from the order text. Damage figures are NOAA storm report estimates for this jurisdiction only, not the cost of the declaration.
Archive coverage for Virginia: 2002-present
| Signed | Order | Declaration | Hazards reported here | Reported damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2022 | EO-21 | Executive Order 21 (2022) Declaration of a State of Emergency Due to Severe Flooding in Southwest Virginia | Flash Flood | $200 |
| Jul 13, 2022 | EO-20 | Executive Order 20 (2022) Declaration of a State of Emergency Due to Severe Flooding in Buchanan County | Flash Flood | $1,800,000 |
| Jul 3, 2012 | EO-49 | Executive Order 49 (2012) Declaration of a State of Emergency for the Commonwealth of Virginia Due to a Severe Storm Event throughout the Commnwealth | Hail, Thunderstorm Wind | $44,000 |
Source: state executive order archives collected by DisasterData Plus, joined to NOAA Storm Events. See the Plus overview for per-state coverage and method.
Every local hazard mitigation plan must document previous occurrences of each hazard. Here is that record for Buchanan County, sourced to OpenFEMA and refreshed weekly. Copy it straight into your plan.
| Hazard | Date | FEMA declaration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Storm | Apr 4, 2025 | DR-4863-VA | DR |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 1, 2024 | DR-4831-VA | DR |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 29, 2024 | EM-3621-VA | EM |
| Severe Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | DR-4674-VA | DR |
| Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | DR-4628-VA | DR |
| Biological | Apr 2, 2020 | DR-4512-VA | DR |
| Biological | Mar 13, 2020 | EM-3448-VA | EM |
| Hurricane | Oct 29, 2012 | EM-3359-VA | EM |
| Snowstorm | Feb 16, 2010 | DR-1874-VA | DR |
| Hurricane | Sep 12, 2005 | EM-3240-VA | EM |
| Severe Storm | Jun 15, 2004 | DR-1525-VA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Dec 9, 2003 | DR-1502-VA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Mar 27, 2003 | DR-1458-VA | DR |
| Severe Storm | May 5, 2002 | DR-1411-VA | DR |
| Fire | Nov 16, 2001 | FM-2390-VA | FM |
| Severe Storm | Jul 12, 2001 | DR-1386-VA | DR |
| Severe Storm | Feb 28, 2000 | DR-1318-VA | DR |
DR = Major disaster (Stafford Act) · EM = Emergency declaration · FM = Fire management assistance
Showing 17 declarations
| Date | Number | Type | Hazard | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2025 | DR-4863-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Flooding |
| Oct 1, 2024 | DR-4831-VA | DR | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Helene |
| Sep 29, 2024 | EM-3621-VA | EM | Tropical Storm | Post-Tropical Cyclone Helene |
| Sep 30, 2022 | DR-4674-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Flooding And Mudslides |
| Oct 26, 2021 | DR-4628-VA | DR | Flood | Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| Apr 2, 2020 | DR-4512-VA | DR | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| Mar 13, 2020 | EM-3448-VA | EM | Biological | Covid-19 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | EM-3359-VA | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| Feb 16, 2010 | DR-1874-VA | DR | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm |
| Sep 12, 2005 | EM-3240-VA | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| Jun 15, 2004 | DR-1525-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Dec 9, 2003 | DR-1502-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Mar 27, 2003 | DR-1458-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,Floodind, And Mudslide |
| May 5, 2002 | DR-1411-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Nov 16, 2001 | FM-2390-VA | FM | Fire | Va - Far Southwest Fire Complex - 11/16/2001 |
| Jul 12, 2001 | DR-1386-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Feb 28, 2000 | DR-1318-VA | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
Drawn from FEMA's OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, rebuilt each week. A declaration is counted here once for each designated area it names, so a single disaster covering many localities is counted in each one. For that reason these jurisdiction counts do not sum to Virginia's statewide total. This page counts declarations that named this jurisdiction as a designated area. Totals cover complete fiscal years (Oct 1 to Sep 30); the in-progress year may appear in the most-recent list but is not counted in the totals. Uses OpenFEMA data but is not endorsed by or affiliated with FEMA.
Choose a citation style, then copy the formatted citation. This profile is derived from FEMA OpenFEMA data and is updated as the underlying Disaster Data build is refreshed.