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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Berwind · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Berwind

Berwind isn’t graded for hazard risk: Berwind has 127 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 22 declared for McDowell County
By hazard

What Berwind 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides top 4% Lightning
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 19% of Berwind’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 Berwind flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: McDowell County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Berwind

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

  1. 2025Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides55 households applied for aid$515K aid approved
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds2 households applied for aid$974 aid approved
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides3 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides15 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides21 households applied for aid$48K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BerwindMcDowell County only

McDowell 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.

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Berwind archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Berwind 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 Berwind

Is Berwind 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 McDowell County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Berwind?

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

By FEMA money that reached Berwind, Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 55 households applied for aid, $515K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Berwind.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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