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Hillsville-Main-businesses-vaPhoto: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Hillsville · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Hillsville than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillsville gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #40 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 82%Tornadoes 4%Earthquakes 4%

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 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#40 of 253 in Virginia
Hazard risk
A#40 of 253
in Virginia · lower than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 14 declared for Carroll County

What stands out about Hillsville’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 94% 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 0.5% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Hillsville 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

82%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Hail Wildfire Landslides top 3% Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Avalanches top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 47% of Hillsville’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Hillsville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hillsville, and Hillsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hillsville sits
Hillsville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #40 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Hillsville’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Tornadoes4%Earthquakes4%Everything else10%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hillsville has less expected damage per building than 85% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $970K a year in losses across Hillsville: $416K 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 142 aid registrations from Hillsville addresses (the town has 1,170 homes).
A small-area figure. Hillsville covers 4 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 Hillsville flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Carroll County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hillsville

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene142 households applied for aid$71K aid approved
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$8K to the Town of Hillsville for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Winter Storms$1K to the Town of Hillsville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HillsvilleCarroll County only

Carroll County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hillsville archive →
Next door

Hillsville and its neighbors

Hillsville is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Woodlawn: hazard risk A+WoodlawnHillsville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WoodlawnA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding2
HillsvilleAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding0

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Hillsville 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 Hillsville

Is Hillsville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillsville has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #40 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Hillsville 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 Carroll County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hillsville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hillsville, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 142 households applied for aid, $71K approved.

Is Hillsville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Hillsville’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hillsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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