On FEMA’s figures, MacArthur 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, MacArthur 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 35 claims here since 1980.
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 MacArthur 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
Earthquakes
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 MacArthur’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in MacArthur, and MacArthur’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).
B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of MacArthur’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $330K a year in losses across MacArthur: $263K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does MacArthur flood? Sometimes: 35 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in MacArthur, from FEMA’s records: 51.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
MacArthur 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.The storms MacArthur remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Raleigh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching MacArthur itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200411 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides, declared for Raleigh County
- 20109 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides, declared for Raleigh County
- 20015 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides, declared for Raleigh County
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.
Old photos of MacArthur after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the MacArthur archive →MacArthur and its neighbors
MacArthur is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beckley | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Crab Orchard | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mabscott | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| MacArthur | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
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 MacArthur 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 MacArthur
Is MacArthur at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, MacArthur 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 MacArthur flood?
Flood insurance has paid 35 claims in MacArthur since 1980, $733K in all, or 51.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is MacArthur 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 MacArthur?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for MacArthur’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is MacArthur at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and MacArthur’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in MacArthur.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where MacArthur’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.