Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Hurricane Helene Resources
Local floodplain administrators should reference FEMA’s Substantial Damage Quick Guide.
Local residents should reference Starting Your Recovery After a Flood, Returning Home After a Flood, and NFIP Rebuilding Safer & Stronger After a Flood.
For the latest information on Virginia’s response to Hurricane Helene, please visit the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s website.
Unless specifically excluded, all dams in Virginia are regulated. More than 2,500 dams are regulated in the state.
DCR's dam safety staff works to ensure that dams are properly and safely designed, built, operated and maintained. Dams in Virginia are classified by hazard potential - high, significant or low. Classification may change according to how a given dam's failure might affect lives and property downstream.
Floods are the most common natural disaster. Each year, about 200 Americans die because of floods, and flood damage throughout the nation exceeds $3 billion.
In 1987, after several disastrous floods and coastal storms, Virginia's floodplain management programs were transferred from the Water Control Board to DCR. In particular, DCR manages coordination of the National Flood Insurance Program and works with localities to establish and enforce floodplain zoning.
Flood resilience is the capability to anticipate, prepare, respond to and recover from flood hazards to minimize damage to social well-being, health, the economy and the environment.
Virginia's Office of Flood Resilience Planning is responsible for developing, administering and implementing the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan and Coastal Resilience Master Plan, conducting ongoing community outreach and engagement, coordinating flood resilience activities across the Commonwealth and providing access to the best available flood and flood damage reduction data.
