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Chilhowie Historic DistrictPhoto: James Shelton32 · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Chilhowie · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Chilhowie as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chilhowie gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 88%Earthquakes 5%Strong wind 2%

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

less than 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Virginia · lower than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
22
paid since 1979 · $252K
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
5
of 18 declared for Smyth County
By hazard

What Chilhowie 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Wildfire 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 40% of Chilhowie’s 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Chilhowie’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chilhowie, and Chilhowie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 5% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Chilhowie sits
Chilhowie
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Chilhowie’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Earthquakes5%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $833K a year in losses across Chilhowie: $452K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Tropical Storm Helene in 2024, FEMA took 292 aid registrations from Chilhowie addresses (the town has 931 homes) and flood insurance paid 2 claims for $106K.
Shared tract.All of Chilhowie’s 1,654 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Chilhowie flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chilhowie, from FEMA’s records: 23.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 5 claims1980: 2 claims1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 3 claims2003: 4 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 2 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197920022003
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Heavy rains2 claims · $9K
  • Hurricane Helene2 claims · $106K
22
paid claims since 1979
$252K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Chilhowie 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

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chilhowie

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

  1. 2025Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$24K to the Town of Chilhowie for repairs
  2. 2024Tropical Storm Helene292 households applied for aid$854K aid approved$1.5M to the Town of Chilhowie for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $106K
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$31K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$39K to the Town of Chilhowie for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2001Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the Town of Chilhowie for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChilhowieSmyth 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 Chilhowie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Chilhowie archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Chilhowie 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Chilhowie

Is Chilhowie at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chilhowie has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and earthquakes (5%). 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 Chilhowie flood?

Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Chilhowie since 1979, $252K in all, or 23.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Heavy rains (2).

Is Chilhowie 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 Chilhowie?

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

By FEMA money that reached Chilhowie, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 292 households applied for aid, $854K approved, and $1.5M to the Town of Chilhowie for repairs. By flood claims, Heavy rains: 2 paid, $9K.

Is Chilhowie at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Chilhowie’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chilhowie.

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