Less hazard damage per building is expected in Brookhaven than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookhaven gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #14 of 61 in West Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1978.
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 Brookhaven 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 Brookhaven’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brookhaven, and Brookhaven’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
B #14 of 61 in West Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brookhaven’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, Brookhaven has less expected damage per building than 78% of West Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Brookhaven: $993K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brookhaven flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brookhaven, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Brookhaven isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monongalia County.The storms Brookhaven remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Monongalia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brookhaven itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19802 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Monongalia County
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Heavy Rains, High Winds, Flooding, and Slides, declared for Monongalia County
Monongalia County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Brookhaven after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brookhaven archive →Brookhaven and its neighbors
Brookhaven 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cheat Lake | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Morgantown | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 137 |
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 Brookhaven 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 Brookhaven
Is Brookhaven at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookhaven has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #14 of 61 in West Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Brookhaven flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Brookhaven since 1978, $6K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Brookhaven 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 Monongalia County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brookhaven?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brookhaven’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Brookhaven at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Brookhaven’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brookhaven.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brookhaven’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.