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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Belva · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Belva

Belva isn’t graded for hazard risk: Belva has 17 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Nicholas County
By hazard

What Belva 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

98%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Hurricanes Tornadoes Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides top 4% Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 18% of Belva’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 Belva flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Nicholas County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belva

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  2. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides53 households applied for aid$414K aid approved
  3. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds18 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$476 aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides6 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides2 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BelvaNicholas County only

Nicholas County has had 21 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 Belva after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Belva archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Belva 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 Belva

Is Belva 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 Nicholas County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Belva?

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

By FEMA money that reached Belva, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2016): 53 households applied for aid, $414K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belva.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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