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AtkinsVAPostOfficePhoto: DwayneP at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Atkins · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Atkins

Atkins isn’t graded for hazard risk: Atkins has 985 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 18 declared for Smyth County
By hazard

What Atkins 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

91%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hurricanes Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 35% of Atkins’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Atkins flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Atkins. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Atkins isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Smyth County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Atkins

Disasters that paid out in Atkins itself (aid to households or repair grants to Atkins), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene129 households applied for aid$490K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AtkinsSmyth County only

Smyth County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Atkins after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Atkins archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Atkins faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Atkins

Is Atkins 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 Smyth County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Atkins?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Atkins’ 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 Atkins?

By FEMA money that reached Atkins, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 129 households applied for aid, $490K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Atkins.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Atkins’ 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.