On FEMA’s figures, Walnut Hill faces less hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walnut Hill gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then earthquakes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1998.
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 Walnut Hill 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
Earthquakes
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 Walnut Hill’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Walnut Hill, and Walnut Hill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 13% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Walnut Hill’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $327K a year in losses across Walnut Hill: $256K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Walnut Hill flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Walnut Hill, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Walnut Hill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sullivan County.The storms Walnut Hill remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Sullivan County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Walnut Hill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19981 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Sullivan County
- 20031 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Sullivan County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Walnut Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Walnut Hill archive →Walnut Hill and its neighbors
Walnut Hill has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Hill | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Bristol | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
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 Walnut Hill 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Walnut Hill
Is Walnut Hill at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walnut Hill has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and earthquakes (13%). 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.
Does Walnut Hill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Walnut Hill since 1998, $85K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Walnut Hill 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 Sullivan County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Walnut Hill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Walnut Hill’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Walnut Hill at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Walnut Hill’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walnut Hill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Walnut Hill’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.