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Thurmond WV DepotPhoto: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Thurmond · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Thurmond

Thurmond isn’t graded for hazard risk: Thurmond has 5 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 20 declared for Fayette County
By hazard

What Thurmond 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Ice storms Winter storms Hurricanes Tornadoes Wildfire Landslides top 5% Lightning Cold waves Heat waves 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 lightning at 10% of Thurmond’s expected losses. Lightning does 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Thurmond flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Thurmond. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Fayette County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Thurmond

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

  1. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides5 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  3. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$2K to the Town of Thurmond for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ThurmondFayette County only

Fayette County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Thurmond archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Thurmond 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 Thurmond

Is Thurmond 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 Fayette County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Thurmond?

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

By FEMA money that reached Thurmond, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides (2003): 5 households applied for aid, $11K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Thurmond.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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