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Narrows VirginiaPhoto: Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Narrows · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Narrows faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Narrows gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 93%Earthquakes 3%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

more than 50%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 · higher than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 2003 · $46K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 19 declared for Giles County
By hazard

What Narrows 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

93%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Hail Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Lightning Wildfire Landslides 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 9% of Narrows’ 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 Narrows’ grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Narrows, and Narrows’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Narrows sits
Narrows
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Earthquakes3%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $598K a year in losses across Narrows: $501K 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 92 aid registrations from Narrows addresses (the town has 836 homes).
A small-area figure. Narrows 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 Narrows flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Narrows, from FEMA’s records: 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 4 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 5 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: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims200320102025
20032026
10
paid claims since 2003
$46K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Giles County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Narrows

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene92 households applied for aid$683K aid approved$814K to the Town of Narrows for repairs
  2. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding45 households applied for aid$115K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NarrowsGiles County only

Giles County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe 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 Narrows after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Narrows archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Narrows 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 Narrows

Is Narrows at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Narrows has higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Narrows flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Narrows since 2003, $46K in all, or 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Narrows 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 Giles County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Narrows?

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

By FEMA money that reached Narrows, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 92 households applied for aid, $683K approved, and $814K to the Town of Narrows for repairs.

Is Narrows at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Narrows’ rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Narrows.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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