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Alderson WV Historic SectionPhoto: CZmarlin — This image is licensed under the Creative Commons license assuming that proper attribution (Christopher Ziemnowicz) is provided. If you use this image anywhere other than Wikipedia please leave a note at Wikipedia [1]. · CC BY 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Alderson · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Alderson

Alderson isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Alderson yet. Flood insurance has paid 179 claims here since 1979.

Flood claims
179
paid since 1979 · $3.4M
Flooded more than once
6
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Greenbrier County
By hazard

What Alderson 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 · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Winter storms Hurricanes Tornadoes Wildfire Cold waves top 2% Ice storms Lightning Landslides Avalanches top 1%
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 18% of Alderson’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), 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 Alderson flood? Yes: 179 flood claims since 1979

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 24 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 2 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 79 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 3 claims2003: 5 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 9 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 53 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198519962016
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Summer severe storms52 claims · $1.2M
179
paid claims since 1979
$3.4M
paid to owners
6
homes flooded more than once
$19K
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

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

Insurance rates: Greenbrier County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
13flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
8homes raised above flood level
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alderson

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

  1. 2025Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$72K to the Town of Alderson for repairs
  2. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides243 households applied for aid$506K aid approved$3.9M to the Town of Alderson for repairs53 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds49 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$105K to the Town of Alderson for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Town of Alderson for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides31 households applied for aid$42K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides7 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AldersonGreenbrier County only

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

Add to the Alderson archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Alderson 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 Alderson

Does Alderson flood?

Flood insurance has paid 179 claims in Alderson since 1979, $3.4M in all. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Summer severe storms (52).

Is Alderson 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 Greenbrier County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Alderson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Alderson, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2016): 243 households applied for aid, $506K approved, and $3.9M to the Town of Alderson for repairs. By flood claims, Summer severe storms: 52 paid, $1.2M.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alderson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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