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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Pocahontas · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Pocahontas

Pocahontas isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pocahontas has 234 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1998.

Flood claims
7
paid since 1998 · $341K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Tazewell County
By hazard

What Pocahontas 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

95%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Hurricanes Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Lightning 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 18% of Pocahontas’ 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Pocahontas flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pocahontas, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 2 claims2026: 0 claims200120152025
19982026
7
paid claims since 1998
$341K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$49K
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

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

Insurance rates: Tazewell County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pocahontas

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene13 households applied for aid$27K aid approved
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$35K to the Town of Pocahontas for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the Town of Pocahontas for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  6. 2001Severe Storms and Flooding$24K to the Town of Pocahontas for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PocahontasTazewell County only

Tazewell County has had 22 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 Pocahontas after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pocahontas archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas

Does Pocahontas flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Pocahontas since 1998, $341K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Pocahontas 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 Tazewell County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pocahontas?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pocahontas, Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds (2012): $35K to the Town of Pocahontas for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pocahontas.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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