Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Glasgow
Glasgow isn’t graded for hazard risk: Glasgow has 878 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2010.
What Glasgow 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 Glasgow flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Glasgow, from FEMA’s records.
Glasgow isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kanawha County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Glasgow
Disasters that paid out in Glasgow itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Glasgow), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides7 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$41K to the Town of Glasgow for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$293 aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$2K to the Town of Glasgow for repairs
Kanawha County has had 26 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kanawha County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Glasgow after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Glasgow archive →Glasgow 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Grove | — | 489 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 Glasgow 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 Glasgow
Does Glasgow flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Glasgow since 2010, $2K in all.
Is Glasgow 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 Kanawha County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Glasgow?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Glasgow’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 Glasgow?
By FEMA money that reached Glasgow, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2016): 7 households applied for aid, $4K approved, and $41K to the Town of Glasgow for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Glasgow.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Glasgow’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.