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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Brush Fork · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Brush Fork faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brush Fork gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 92%Earthquakes 5%

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

more than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in West Virginia · higher than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 22 declared for Mercer County
By hazard

What Brush Fork 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

92%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Ice storms Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 16% of Brush Fork’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Brush Fork’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brush Fork, and Brush Fork’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Brush Fork sits
Brush Fork
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Brush Fork’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Earthquakes5%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $326K a year in losses across Brush Fork: $253K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Brush Fork covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Brush Fork flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Mercer County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brush Fork

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

  1. 2024Post-tropical Storm Helene1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides7 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Brush ForkMercer County only

Mercer County has had 22 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.

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Brush Fork archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Brush Fork 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 Brush Fork

Is Brush Fork at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brush Fork has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Brush Fork 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 Mercer County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Brush Fork?

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

By FEMA money that reached Brush Fork, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides (2004): 7 households applied for aid, $17K approved.

Is Brush Fork at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Brush Fork’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brush Fork.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brush Fork’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.