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LincolnTheatreMarionVAPhoto: DwayneP · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Marion · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Marion than in 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #182 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1978.

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 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#182 of 253 in Virginia
Hazard risk
B+#182 of 253
in Virginia · lower than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
16
paid since 1978 · $101K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 18 declared for Smyth County
By hazard

What Marion 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
About average · higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Tornadoes Ice storms Hail 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 47% of Marion’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 Marion’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marion, and Marion’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 5% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Marion sits
Marion
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #182 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Marion’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 flooding88%Earthquakes5%Everything else7%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Marion has more expected damage per building than 72% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Marion: $1.1M 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 740 aid registrations from Marion addresses (the town has 2,803 homes) and flood insurance paid 2 claims for $78K.
A small-area figure. Marion 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 Marion flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Marion, from FEMA’s records: 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 6 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 1 claim2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 2 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819791981
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene2 claims · $78K
  • The Heavy rains1 claim · $2K
16
paid claims since 1978
$101K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Marion 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 Marion

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene740 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved$73K to the Town of Marion for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $78K
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$9K to the Town of Marion for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding21 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
  4. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Marion for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2001Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Marion for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MarionSmyth 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 Marion after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Marion archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Marion 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 Marion

Is Marion at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #182 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and earthquakes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Marion flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Marion since 1978, $101K in all, or 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (2).

Is Marion 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 Marion?

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

By FEMA money that reached Marion, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 740 households applied for aid, $1.6M approved, and $73K to the Town of Marion for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 2 paid, $78K.

Is Marion at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Marion’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marion.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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