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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Mabscott · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Mabscott as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mabscott gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 39 claims here since 2001.

River and rain flooding 89%Earthquakes 5%Strong wind 2%

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

less than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in West Virginia · lower than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
39
paid since 2001 · $1.2M
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 2 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
9
of 23 declared for Raleigh County
By hazard

What Mabscott 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Cold waves top 1% Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes Tornadoes 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Mabscott’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mabscott, and Mabscott’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 5% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Mabscott sits
Mabscott
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Mabscott’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Earthquakes5%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $322K a year in losses across Mabscott: $256K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Mabscott’s 1,341 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with MacArthur CDP (1,376 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Mabscott flood? Sometimes: 39 flood claims since 2001

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mabscott, from FEMA’s records: 56.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2001: 6 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 3 claims2004: 13 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 13 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 4 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 claims200120042010
20012026
39
paid claims since 2001
$1.2M
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$30K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Raleigh County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mabscott

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

  1. 2025Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds12 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$5K to the Town of Mabscott for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides17 households applied for aid$47K aid approved$15K to the Town of Mabscott for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the Town of Mabscott for repairs
  5. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides4 households applied for aid$176 aid approved
  6. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved13 flood claims paid that year
Show all 9
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides9 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides4 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$13K to the Town of Mabscott for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MabscottRaleigh County only

Raleigh County has had 23 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 Raleigh County, 2001–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Mabscott archive →
Next door

Mabscott and its neighbors

Mabscott is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Beckley: hazard risk A+MacArthur: hazard risk BBeckleyMacArthurMabscott
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BeckleyA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding26
MacArthurBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding35
MabscottBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding39

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Mabscott 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Mabscott

Is Mabscott at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mabscott has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and earthquakes (5%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Mabscott flood?

Flood insurance has paid 39 claims in Mabscott since 2001, $1.2M in all, or 56.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Mabscott 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 Raleigh County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mabscott?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mabscott, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2010): 17 households applied for aid, $47K approved, and $15K to the Town of Mabscott for repairs.

Is Mabscott at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Mabscott’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mabscott.

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