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Wirt County Courthouse Elizabeth West VirginiaPhoto: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Elizabeth · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Elizabeth

Elizabeth isn’t graded for hazard risk: Elizabeth has 564 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1997.

Flood claims
10
paid since 1997 · $145K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Wirt County
By hazard

What Elizabeth 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 · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms Cold waves top 4% Lightning Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Elizabeth flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1997

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elizabeth, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1997: 9 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19972003
19972026
10
paid claims since 1997
$145K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wirt County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elizabeth

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

  1. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds1 households applied for aid$3K to the Town of Elizabeth for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides9 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ElizabethWirt County only

Wirt County has had 17 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 Elizabeth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Elizabeth archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth

Does Elizabeth flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Elizabeth since 1997, $145K in all.

Is Elizabeth 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 Wirt County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Elizabeth?

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

By FEMA money that reached Elizabeth, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides (2004): 9 households applied for aid, $25K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elizabeth.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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