Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in West
West isn’t graded for hazard risk: West has 175 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What West 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
Earthquakes
Hail
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 West flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in West. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
West isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Holmes County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West
Disasters that paid out in West itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of West), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm236 households applied for aid$960K aid approved
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes4 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding61 households applied for aid$140K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding80 households applied for aid$104K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina147 households applied for aid$125K aid approved
Holmes County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of West after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the West archive →Get ready for what West 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 West
Is West 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 Holmes County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in West?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West’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 West?
By FEMA money that reached West, Severe Winter Storm (2026): 236 households applied for aid, $960K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West’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.