FEMA puts Wirt’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wirt gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Wirt 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
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 Wirt’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wirt, and Wirt’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wirt’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $419K a year in losses across Wirt: $361K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wirt flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wirt. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Wirt isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegany County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wirt
Disasters that paid out in Wirt itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wirt), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Wirt for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Wirt for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$57K to the Town of Wirt for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$710K to the Town of Wirt for repairs
Allegany County has had 19 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; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Wirt after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wirt archive →Wirt and its neighbors
Wirt has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wirt | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Bolivar | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Friendship | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Scio | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Clarksville | — | not graded yet | |
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 Wirt 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.
- 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 Wirt
Is Wirt at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wirt has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Wirt 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 Allegany County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Wirt?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wirt’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 Wirt?
By FEMA money that reached Wirt, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2003): $710K to the Town of Wirt for repairs.
Is Wirt at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Wirt’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wirt.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wirt’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.