Photo: Photolitherland · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Norfork
Norfork isn’t graded for hazard risk: Norfork has 690 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 55 claims here since 1982.
What Norfork faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Ice storms
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Norfork flood? Sometimes: 55 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Norfork, from FEMA’s records.
- The March storm19 claims · $1.1M
- The Early winter storms4 claims · $337K
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $50K
Norfork isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Baxter County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Norfork
Disasters that paid out in Norfork itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Norfork), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding29 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
- 2009Severe Winter Storm$6K to the City of Norfork for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding71 households applied for aid$215K aid approved$15K to the City of Norfork for repairs43 flood claims paid that year
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$5K to the City of Norfork for repairs
Baxter County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Norfork after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Norfork archive →Norfork and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesville | — | 515 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Norfork faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Norfork
Does Norfork flood?
Flood insurance has paid 55 claims in Norfork since 1982, $2.5M in all. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from March storm (19).
Is Norfork in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Baxter County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Norfork?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Norfork’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Norfork?
By FEMA money that reached Norfork, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 71 households applied for aid, $215K approved, and $15K to the City of Norfork for repairs. By flood claims, March storm: 19 paid, $1.1M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Norfork.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Norfork’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.