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Honaker, Railroad near MainPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Honaker · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Honaker faces more hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Honaker gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 91%Earthquakes 3%Tornadoes 1%

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

more than 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Virginia · higher than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 17 declared for Russell County
By hazard

What Honaker 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
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Strong wind Wildfire Landslides top 1% Hail Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Avalanches top 1%
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 34% of Honaker’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 Honaker’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Honaker, and Honaker’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Honaker sits
Honaker
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Honaker’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 flooding91%Earthquakes3%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $387K a year in losses across Honaker: $220K 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 214 aid registrations from Honaker addresses (the town has 556 homes).
A small-area figure. Honaker 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 Honaker flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Russell County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Honaker

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

  1. 2025Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$11K to the Town of Honaker for repairs
  2. 2024Tropical Storm Helene214 households applied for aid$148K aid approved$4K to the Town of Honaker for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding33 households applied for aid$41K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,floodind, and Mudslide5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HonakerRussell County only

Russell County has had 17 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 Honaker after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Honaker archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Honaker 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 Honaker

Is Honaker at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Honaker has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Honaker 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 Russell County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Honaker?

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

By FEMA money that reached Honaker, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 214 households applied for aid, $148K approved, and $4K to the Town of Honaker for repairs.

Is Honaker at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Honaker’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Honaker.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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