Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Laurelville
Laurelville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Laurelville has 633 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1983.
What Laurelville 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.
Does Laurelville flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laurelville, from FEMA’s records.
Laurelville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hocking County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Laurelville
Disasters that paid out in Laurelville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Laurelville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide23 households applied for aid$52K aid approved
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$3K to the Village of Laurelville for repairs
- 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow$2K to the Village of Laurelville for repairs
Hocking County has had 14 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.
Old photos of Laurelville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laurelville archive →Laurelville and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colerain Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Saltcreek Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Perry Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Adelphi | — | 316 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Laurelville 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 Laurelville
Does Laurelville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Laurelville since 1983, $48K in all.
Is Laurelville 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 Hocking County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Laurelville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laurelville’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 Laurelville?
By FEMA money that reached Laurelville, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide (2019): 23 households applied for aid, $52K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laurelville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laurelville’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.