Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Bolivar
Bolivar isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Bolivar yet.
What Bolivar 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.
Does Bolivar flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bolivar. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bolivar isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bolivar
Disasters that paid out in Bolivar itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bolivar), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$7K to the Town of Bolivar for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the Town of Bolivar for repairs
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides$5K to the Town of Bolivar for repairs
Jefferson County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bolivar after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bolivar archive →Bolivar and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harpers Ferry | — | 350 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Bolivar 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 Bolivar
Is Bolivar 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 Jefferson County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bolivar?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bolivar’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 Bolivar?
By FEMA money that reached Bolivar, Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms (2010): $7K to the Town of Bolivar for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bolivar.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bolivar’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.