Preston County flood history
West Virginia · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 99 flood insurance claims in Preston County, West Virginia since 1978. The NFIP paid $825,240 on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 1996, with 25, mostly from Flooding.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 7 claims, and the average paid claim was $23,570.
22% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.4% of homes in Preston County, West Virginia had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (55 of 13,506 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 10% (47 of 450).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 9 flood-related disaster declarations covering Preston County, West Virginia. The most recent was DR-4783-WV (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared May 22, 2024.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | $90,333 |
| 2024 | 2 | $10,216 |
| 2021 | 3 | $62,901 |
| 2017 | 1 | $1,537 |
| 2015 | 1 | $18,793 |
| 2012 | 3 | $9,959 |
| 2011 | 6 | $16,876 |
| 2010 | 1 | $11,556 |
| 2003 | 1 | $0 |
| 2001 | 2 | $3,776 |
| 2000 | 8 | $28,008 |
| 1996 | 25 | $150,958 |
| 1995 | 1 | $2,300 |
| 1994 | 11 | $63,756 |
| 1986 | 1 | $699 |
| 1985 | 19 | $338,865 |
| 1981 | 2 | $187 |
| 1980 | 7 | $12,726 |
| 1979 | 1 | $648 |
| 1978 | 3 | $1,146 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flooding | 1985 | 17 | $337,605 |
| Flooding | 1996 | 24 | $129,082 |
| Flooding | 1980 | 6 | $12,726 |
| Not a named storm | 1979 | 1 | $648 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 55 residential NFIP policies in Preston County, against 13,506 residential buildings (0.4%). Of the 450 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 47 have an NFIP policy (10%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4783-WV | May 22, 2024 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4455-WV | Aug 2, 2019 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4359-WV | Apr 17, 2018 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4331-WV | Aug 18, 2017 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4059-WV | Mar 16, 2012 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides | Yes |
| DR-1474-WV | Jun 21, 2003 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides | Yes |
| DR-1455-WV | Mar 14, 2003 | Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides | Yes |
| DR-1378-WV | Jun 3, 2001 | Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides | Yes |
| DR-1319-WV | Feb 28, 2000 | Flooding, Severe Storms, and Landslides | Yes |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of West Virginia.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.