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Tazewell, VAPhoto: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tazewell · FEMA

FEMA puts Tazewell’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tazewell gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #230 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 93%Earthquakes 3%Strong wind 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 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#230 of 253 in Virginia
Hazard risk
C+#230 of 253
in Virginia · higher than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
29
paid since 1980 · $640K
Flooded more than once
2
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
8
of 22 declared for Tazewell County
By hazard

What Tazewell 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
Well above average · higher than 82% 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 Cold waves Lightning Ice storms 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 12% of Tazewell’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 Tazewell’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tazewell, and Tazewell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tazewell sits
Tazewell
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #230 of 253 in Virginia; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Tazewell’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 flooding93%Earthquakes3%Everything else3%

The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tazewell has more expected damage per building than 91% of Virginia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Tazewell: $1.3M 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 232 aid registrations from Tazewell addresses (the town has 2,159 homes) and flood insurance paid 1 claims for $9K.
A small-area figure. Tazewell 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 Tazewell flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tazewell, from FEMA’s records: 13.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 2 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 16 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 3 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 2 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198020012003
19802026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene1 claim · $9K
29
paid claims since 1980
$640K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Tazewell 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

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tazewell

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene232 households applied for aid$281K aid approved$169K to the Town of Tazewell for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $9K
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$7K to the Town of Tazewell for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Town of Tazewell for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding44 households applied for aid$63K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,floodind, and Mudslide5 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2001Severe Storms and Flooding$75K to the Town of Tazewell for repairs16 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2000Severe Winter Storms$9K to the Town of Tazewell for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TazewellTazewell 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 Tazewell after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Tazewell archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Tazewell 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 Tazewell

Is Tazewell at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tazewell has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #230 of 253 in Virginia. 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 Tazewell flood?

Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Tazewell since 1980, $640K in all, or 13.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (1).

Is Tazewell 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 Tazewell?

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

By FEMA money that reached Tazewell, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 232 households applied for aid, $281K approved, and $169K to the Town of Tazewell for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 1 paid, $9K.

Is Tazewell at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Tazewell’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tazewell.

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