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Ferrum St. James Methodist ChurchPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ferrum · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ferrum faces less hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferrum gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 87%Hurricanes 4%Strong wind 3%

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 69%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 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 18 declared for Franklin County

What stands out about Ferrum’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.3% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Ferrum 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

87%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Earthquakes Tornadoes Hail Lightning top 3% Landslides top 3% Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Ferrum’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ferrum, and Ferrum’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ferrum sits
Ferrum
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ferrum’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hurricanes4%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $294K a year in losses across Ferrum: $226K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Ferrum covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ferrum flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ferrum. 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

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

Insurance rates: Franklin County.
Disasters

The storms Ferrum remembers

None of the 18 disasters declared for Franklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ferrum itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FerrumFranklin County only

Franklin 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Ferrum 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 Ferrum

Is Ferrum at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferrum has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Ferrum 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 Franklin County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ferrum?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ferrum’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Ferrum at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Ferrum’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ferrum.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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