Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Raven

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Raven, VirginiaPhoto: Magnolia677 · CC BY 4.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Raven · FEMA

FEMA puts Raven’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Raven gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 31 claims here since 1994.

River and rain flooding 96%Earthquakes 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 88%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Virginia · higher than 88% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
31
paid since 1994 · $1.1M
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Tazewell County

What stands out about Raven’s natural hazards

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

Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 20206 flood claims were paid for 2020 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Raven 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Landslides top 3% Lightning Ice 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 11% of Raven’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 Raven’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Raven, and Raven’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Raven sits
Raven
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Raven’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $990K a year in losses across Raven: $785K 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 79 aid registrations from Raven addresses (the town has 881 homes).
A small-area figure. Raven covers 3 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 Raven flood? Sometimes: 31 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Raven, from FEMA’s records: 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 3 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 2 claims2004: 5 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 4 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 6 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 5 claims2026: 0 claims200420202025
19942026
31
paid claims since 1994
$1.1M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$35K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Raven 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Raven

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene79 households applied for aid$144K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding96 households applied for aid$239K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,floodind, and Mudslide5 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RavenTazewell 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 Raven after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Raven archive →
Next door

Raven and its neighbors

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

Richlands: hazard risk DDoran: not gradedRichlandsDoranRaven
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RichlandsDmore damage than 85%river and rain flooding125
RavenDmore damage than 88%river and rain flooding31
Doran—37 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Raven 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 Raven

Is Raven at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Raven has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Raven flood?

Flood insurance has paid 31 claims in Raven since 1994, $1.1M in all, or 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Raven 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 Raven?

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

By FEMA money that reached Raven, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2004): 96 households applied for aid, $239K approved.

Is Raven at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Raven’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Raven.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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