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Birch River West VirginiaPhoto: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Birch River · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Birch River

Birch River isn’t graded for hazard risk: Birch River has 7 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Nicholas County
By hazard

What Birch River 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes Tornadoes Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Landslides top 4% Lightning Heat waves 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 28% of Birch River’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Birch River flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

Birch River 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.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Birch River

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
  2. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides161 households applied for aid$923K aid approved
  3. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds18 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides24 households applied for aid$91K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Birch RiverNicholas 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 Birch River after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Birch River archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Birch River 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 Birch River

Is Birch River 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 Birch River?

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

By FEMA money that reached Birch River, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2016): 161 households applied for aid, $923K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Birch River.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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