FEMA puts Pea Ridge’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pea Ridge gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #50 of 61 in West Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Pea Ridge 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.
What’s behind Pea Ridge’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pea Ridge, and Pea Ridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #50 of 61 in West Virginia; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pea Ridge’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical West Virginia town has higher expected damage than 73% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pea Ridge has more expected damage per building than 82% of West Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Pea Ridge: $4.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pea Ridge flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pea Ridge. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pea Ridge isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cabell County.The storms Pea Ridge remembers
None of the 25 disasters declared for Cabell County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pea Ridge itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Cabell County has had 25 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 Cabell County, 2001–2001.
Pea Ridge and its neighbors
Pea Ridge has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pea Ridge | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Barboursville | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Pea Ridge 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 Pea Ridge
Is Pea Ridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pea Ridge has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #50 of 61 in West Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pea Ridge 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 Cabell County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pea Ridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pea Ridge’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pea Ridge at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Pea Ridge’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pea Ridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pea Ridge’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.