Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Barry’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barry gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Barry 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
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.
What’s behind Barry’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Barry, and Barry’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Barry’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $962K a year in losses across Barry: $453K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Barry flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Barry. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Barry isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pike County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Barry
Disasters that paid out in Barry itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Barry), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the City of Barry for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the City of Barry for repairs
- 2006Snow$3K to the City of Barry for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$25K to the City of Barry for repairs
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$3K to the City of Barry for repairs
Pike County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Barry after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Barry archive →Get ready for what Barry 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.
- 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 Barry
Is Barry at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barry has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Barry 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 Pike County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Barry?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Barry’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 Barry?
By FEMA money that reached Barry, Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding (2002): $25K to the City of Barry for repairs.
Is Barry at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Barry’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barry.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Barry’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.