Photo: Smerdis · CC BY-SA 4.0

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Marshall · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Marshall

Marshall isn’t graded for hazard risk: Marshall has 519 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 2001.

Flood claims

paid since 2001 · $129K

Disasters paid out here

of 16 declared for Richland County

By hazard

What Marshall 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

86%of expected building damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage

Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Smaller shares here

Strong wind Lightning Earthquakes Landslides top 3% Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves

FEMA models no building damage here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Marshall’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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Marshall flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 2001

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

Paid flood claims, by year

200720082018

20012026

Biggest named events

The Storm2 claims · $44K

paid claims since 2001

$129K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$11K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Richland County.

Disasters

The storms Marshall remembers

None of the 16 disasters declared for Richland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Marshall itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

20183 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides, declared for Richland County
20072 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Richland County
20082 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Richland County

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in MarshallRichland County only

Richland County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Marshall archive →

Next door

Marshall and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

SylvanDaytonBloomRockbridgeMarshall

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)
Sylvan	—	588 residents; we grade 1,000+
Dayton	—	648 residents; we grade 1,000+
Bloom	—	514 residents; we grade 1,000+
Rockbridge	—	760 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 Marshall 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Marshall

Does Marshall flood?

Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Marshall since 2001, $129K in all. The most claims came from Storm (2).

Is Marshall 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 Richland County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Marshall?

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

By flood claims, Storm: 2 paid, $44K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marshall.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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