Blennerhassett Island Historic District · Photo: WVhybrid · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Blennerhassett than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blennerhassett gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #34 of 61 in West Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 50 claims here since 1998.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Blennerhassett 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
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.
What’s behind Blennerhassett’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blennerhassett, and Blennerhassett’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #34 of 61 in West Virginia; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Blennerhassett’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical West Virginia town has higher expected damage than 73% of U.S. towns; within the state, Blennerhassett has more expected damage per building than 55% of West Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Blennerhassett: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Blennerhassett flood? Sometimes: 50 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blennerhassett, from FEMA’s records: 38.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan11 claims · $129K
Blennerhassett isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wood County.The storms Blennerhassett remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Wood County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Blennerhassett itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199828 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Wood County
- 200411 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides, declared for Wood County
- 200510 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Wood County has had 14 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.
Old photos of Blennerhassett after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Blennerhassett archive →Blennerhassett and its neighbors
Blennerhassett has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blennerhassett | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
| Washington | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lubeck | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Blennerhassett faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Blennerhassett
Is Blennerhassett at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blennerhassett has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #34 of 61 in West Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Blennerhassett flood?
Flood insurance has paid 50 claims in Blennerhassett since 1998, $571K in all, or 38.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (11).
Is Blennerhassett 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 Wood County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Blennerhassett?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blennerhassett’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 Blennerhassett?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 11 paid, $129K.
Is Blennerhassett at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Blennerhassett’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blennerhassett.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blennerhassett’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.