Photo: FloNight · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Matewan
Matewan isn’t graded for hazard risk: Matewan has 505 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 117 claims here since 1978.
What Matewan 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 Matewan flood? Yes: 117 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Matewan, from FEMA’s records.
- The Storm9 claims · $176K
- The February West Virginia Flooding2 claims · $97K
Matewan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Mingo County.14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Matewan
Disasters that paid out in Matewan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Matewan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides88 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$1.1M to the Town of Matewan for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2021Severe Storms and Flooding$83K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$218K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$17K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Lanslides1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$8K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
Show all 14
- 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides144 households applied for aid$582K aid approved$1.2M to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$22K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides36 households applied for aid$55K aid approved$22K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides3 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides6 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$5K to the Town of Matewan for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$34K to the Town of Matewan for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
Mingo County has had 31 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 Mingo County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Matewan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Matewan archive →Matewan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCarr | — | 265 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Red Jacket | — | 482 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 Matewan 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 Matewan
Does Matewan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 117 claims in Matewan since 1978, $2.6M in all. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (9).
Is Matewan 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 Mingo County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Matewan?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Matewan’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 Matewan?
By FEMA money that reached Matewan, Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 88 households applied for aid, $1.2M approved, and $1.1M to the Town of Matewan for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 9 paid, $176K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Matewan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Matewan’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.