Catahoula Parish Courthouse · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg isn’t graded for hazard risk: Harrisonburg has 287 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1979.
What Harrisonburg 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
Hurricanes
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 Harrisonburg flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harrisonburg, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Gustav2 claims · $5K
Harrisonburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Catahoula Parish.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Harrisonburg
Disasters that paid out in Harrisonburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Harrisonburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms10 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$13K to the Village of Harrisonburg for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2020Hurricane Laura$4K to the Village of Harrisonburg for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding36 households applied for aid$94K aid approved
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Village of Harrisonburg for repairs
- 2008Hurricane Gustav63 households applied for aid$92K aid approved$7K to the Village of Harrisonburg for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $5K
- 2005Hurricane Katrina$14K to the Village of Harrisonburg for repairs
Catahoula Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Harrisonburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Harrisonburg archive →Get ready for what Harrisonburg 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Harrisonburg
Does Harrisonburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Harrisonburg since 1979, $80K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Gustav (2).
Is Harrisonburg 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 Catahoula Parish, 13.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Harrisonburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harrisonburg’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 Harrisonburg?
By FEMA money that reached Harrisonburg, Hurricane Gustav (2008): 63 households applied for aid, $92K approved, and $7K to the Village of Harrisonburg for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Gustav: 2 paid, $5K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harrisonburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harrisonburg’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.