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Broad east of Main in RoanokePhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Roanoke · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Roanoke than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Roanoke gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2013.

River and rain flooding 84%Tornadoes 7%Earthquakes 4%

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

more than 63%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Illinois · higher than 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 2013 · $431K
Flooded more than once
3
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
7
of 11 declared for Woodford County
By hazard

What Roanoke 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

84%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 15% of Roanoke’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Roanoke’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Roanoke, and Roanoke’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Roanoke sits
Roanoke
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Roanoke’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Tornadoes7%Earthquakes4%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Roanoke: $923K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Roanoke’s 1,960 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Roanoke flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2013

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Roanoke, from FEMA’s records: 11.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2013: 4 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 4 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201320192020
20132026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms4 claims · $123K
9
paid claims since 2013
$431K
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$48K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Roanoke isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Woodford County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Roanoke

Disasters that paid out in Roanoke itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Roanoke), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes10 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding95 households applied for aid$367K aid approved$42K to the Village of Roanoke for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Village of Roanoke for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding33 households applied for aid$66K aid approved$21K to the Village of Roanoke for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Village of Roanoke for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$5K to the Village of Roanoke for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RoanokeWoodford County only

Woodford County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Roanoke after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Roanoke archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Roanoke faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Roanoke

Is Roanoke at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Roanoke has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (7%). 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.

Does Roanoke flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Roanoke since 2013, $431K in all, or 11.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (4).

Is Roanoke 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 Woodford County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Roanoke?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Roanoke’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 Roanoke?

By FEMA money that reached Roanoke, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 95 households applied for aid, $367K approved, and $42K to the Village of Roanoke for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 4 paid, $123K.

Is Roanoke at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Roanoke’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Roanoke.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Roanoke’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.