Storms, floods and disasters in Pikeville
Pikeville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pikeville has 776 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2016.
What Pikeville 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
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 Pikeville flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pikeville, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Matthew2 claims · $58K
- Hurricane Florence2 claims · $14K
Pikeville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wayne County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pikeville
Disasters that paid out in Pikeville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pikeville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$142K to the Town of Pikeville for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence167 households applied for aid$43K aid approved$27K to the Town of Pikeville for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $14K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew227 households applied for aid$110K aid approved$11K to the Town of Pikeville for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $58K
- 2011Hurricane Irene36 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel15 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
Wayne County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Pikeville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pikeville archive →Get ready for what Pikeville 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.
- 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 Pikeville
Does Pikeville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Pikeville since 2016, $72K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (2).
Is Pikeville 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 Wayne County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pikeville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pikeville’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 Pikeville?
By FEMA money that reached Pikeville, Hurricane Dorian (2019): $142K to the Town of Pikeville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 2 paid, $58K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pikeville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pikeville’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.