Jefferson College · Photo: Elisa Rolle · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Morgantown faces more hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morgantown gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%). 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 Morgantown 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Morgantown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Morgantown, and Morgantown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
C higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Morgantown’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $461K a year in losses across Morgantown: $254K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Morgantown flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Morgantown. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Morgantown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Adams County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Morgantown
Disasters that paid out in Morgantown itself (aid to households or repair grants to Morgantown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Isaac2 households applied for aid$581 aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina9 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Adams County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Morgantown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Morgantown archive →Morgantown and its neighbors
Morgantown is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natchez | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Morgantown | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Morgantown 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Morgantown
Is Morgantown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morgantown has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (10%). 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 Morgantown 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 Adams County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Morgantown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Morgantown’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 Morgantown?
By FEMA money that reached Morgantown, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 9 households applied for aid, $10K approved.
Is Morgantown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Morgantown’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morgantown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Morgantown’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.