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Abraham Beydler HouseAbraham Beydler House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Toms Brook · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Toms Brook

Toms Brook isn’t graded for hazard risk: Toms Brook has 439 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 19 declared for Shenandoah County
By hazard

What Toms Brook 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

84%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 16 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Strong wind Cold waves top 1% Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Toms Brook flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Toms Brook. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Shenandoah County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Toms Brook

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

  1. 2003Hurricane Isabel4 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Toms BrookShenandoah County only

Shenandoah County has had 19 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Shenandoah County, 2001–2001.

Were you here?

Old photos of Toms Brook after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Toms Brook archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Toms Brook 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Toms Brook

Is Toms Brook 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 Shenandoah County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Toms Brook?

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

By FEMA money that reached Toms Brook, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 4 households applied for aid, $5K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Toms Brook.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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