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Rainelle 2017 by Lukas RayPhoto: Ljray92 · CC BY-SA 4.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rainelle · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Rainelle than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rainelle gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 130 claims here since 1996.

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 96%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 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
98% of expected building damage
Flood claims
130
paid since 1996 · $3.7M
Flooded more than once
12
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
10
of 22 declared for Greenbrier County

What stands out about Rainelle’s natural hazards

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

130 paid flood claims since 1996$3.7M in all; 12 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 98% of U.S. towns.Moved out of harm’s way16 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 200359 flood claims were paid for 2003 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Rainelle 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 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Hurricanes Tornadoes Cold waves top 2% Wildfire Ice storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Rainelle’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Rainelle’s grade

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

Where Rainelle sits
Rainelle
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Rainelle’s 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 $1.5M a year in losses across Rainelle: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Rainelle’s 1,190 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Rainelle flood? Yes: 130 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rainelle, from FEMA’s records: 172.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 3 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 59 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 28 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 38 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320102016
19962026
Biggest named events
  • The Summer severe storms35 claims · $2.3M
  • The Heavy rains1 claim · $1K
130
paid claims since 1996
$3.7M
paid to owners
12
homes flooded more than once
$29K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Greenbrier County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
16flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rainelle

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$35K aid approved
  2. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides666 households applied for aid$6.3M aid approved$1.0M to the Town of Rainelle for repairs38 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds46 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$6K to the Town of Rainelle for repairs
  4. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides77 households applied for aid$107K aid approved$36K to the Town of Rainelle for repairs28 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$11K to the Town of Rainelle for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$873 aid approved
Show all 10
  1. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides307 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$34K to the Town of Rainelle for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides9 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  4. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$3K to the Town of Rainelle for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RainelleGreenbrier County only

Greenbrier County has had 22 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Rainelle archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Rainelle 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 Rainelle

Is Rainelle at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rainelle has higher expected damage per building than 96% 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 Rainelle flood?

Flood insurance has paid 130 claims in Rainelle since 1996, $3.7M in all, or 172.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Summer severe storms (35).

Is Rainelle 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 Greenbrier County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rainelle?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rainelle, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2016): 666 households applied for aid, $6.3M approved, and $1.0M to the Town of Rainelle for repairs. By flood claims, Summer severe storms: 35 paid, $2.3M.

Is Rainelle at risk from river and rain flooding?

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

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rainelle.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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