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Mullens Historic DistrictMullens Historic District · Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 3.0 us
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Mullens · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Mullens than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mullens gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 136 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 98%

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

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in West Virginia · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
98% of expected building damage
Flood claims
136
paid since 1978 · $4.4M
Flooded more than once
21
properties · 5 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
10
of 24 declared for Wyoming County

What stands out about Mullens’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

136 paid flood claims since 1978$4.4M in all; 21 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 97% of U.S. towns.Moved out of harm’s way28 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 200156 flood claims were paid for 2001 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Mullens 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

98%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides top 4% Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Mullens’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Mullens’ grade

River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mullens, and Mullens’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Mullens sits
Mullens
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding98%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Mullens: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Mullens’ 1,480 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Bud CDP (347 residents) and Corinne CDP (318 residents) and Itmann CDP (259 residents) and Covel CDP (85 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 Mullens flood? Yes: 136 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mullens, from FEMA’s records: 125.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 2 claims1981: 5 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 2 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 7 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 56 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 35 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 16 claims2010: 2 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: 9 claims2026: 0 claims200120032009
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm15 claims · $253K
  • The February West Virginia Flooding8 claims · $327K
136
paid claims since 1978
$4.4M
paid to owners
21
homes flooded more than once
$32K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (5)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wyoming County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
28flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mullens

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

  1. 2025Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides46 households applied for aid$290K aid approved9 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$13K to the City of Mullens for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the City of Mullens for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides52 households applied for aid$83K aid approved$3K to the City of Mullens for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$15K to the City of Mullens for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides19 households applied for aid$73K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 10
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides77 households applied for aid$154K aid approved$53K to the City of Mullens for repairs
  2. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides11 households applied for aid$19K aid approved$42K to the City of Mullens for repairs
  4. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$982K to the City of Mullens for repairs56 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MullensWyoming County only

Wyoming County has had 24 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 Wyoming County, 2001–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Mullens archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Mullens 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 Mullens

Is Mullens at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mullens has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Mullens flood?

Flood insurance has paid 136 claims in Mullens since 1978, $4.4M in all, or 125.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 21 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (15).

Is Mullens 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 Wyoming County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mullens?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mullens, Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides (2001): $982K to the City of Mullens for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 15 paid, $253K.

Is Mullens at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Mullens’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mullens.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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