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2016-06-06 17 35 10 View north along West Virginia State Route 90 (Front Street) between Buffalo Avenue and Potomac Avenue in Bayard, Grant County, West VirginiaPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bayard · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bayard

Bayard isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bayard has 299 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 16 declared for Grant County
By hazard

What Bayard 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Hail Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves top 1% Landslides top 3% Ice storms Lightning Heat waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Bayard flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bayard. 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

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

Insurance rates: Grant County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bayard

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$52K to the Town of Bayard for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$3K to the Town of Bayard for repairs
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel$24K to the Town of Bayard for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides$5K to the Town of Bayard for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BayardGrant County only

Grant County has had 16 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 Grant County, 2001–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bayard archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bayard 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 Bayard

Is Bayard 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 Grant 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 Bayard?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bayard, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2019): $52K to the Town of Bayard for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bayard.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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