Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Poca
Poca isn’t graded for hazard risk: Poca has 872 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1978.
What Poca 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 Poca flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Poca, from FEMA’s records.
Poca isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Putnam County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Poca
Disasters that paid out in Poca itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Poca), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides9 households applied for aid$41K aid approved
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides9 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides18 households applied for aid$54K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Putnam County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Poca after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Poca archive →Poca 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond City | — | 28 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 Poca 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 Poca
Does Poca flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Poca since 1978, $29K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Poca 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 Putnam County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Poca?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Poca’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 Poca?
By FEMA money that reached Poca, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides (2003): 18 households applied for aid, $54K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Poca.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Poca’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.