McDowell, WV
McDowell County in West Virginia has 8 FEMA disaster declarations on record covering 1972–2022, most recently Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides on Nov 28, 2022 (DR-4678). Its flood risk grade is A (Low risk), ranking #1277 of 3,277 U.S. counties, with 9 NFIP flood insurance claims totaling $331,506 in payouts. Flood risk is relatively low compared to the national average.
FEMA Disaster Declarations in McDowell County
The 8 most recent federally declared disasters affecting McDowell County, WV (1972–2022). Total declarations on record: 8.
| Declared | Incident Type | Title | FEMA Disaster # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28, 2022 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4678 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy | DR-3358 |
| Jun 24, 2010 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides | DR-1918 |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | DR-3221 |
| May 23, 1996 | Flood | Flooding, Heavy Winds | DR-1115 |
| May 15, 1984 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-706 |
| Apr 7, 1977 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-531 |
| Aug 23, 1972 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding | DR-349 |
Score Breakdown
The composite score of 12 is calculated from four weighted factors. See our methodology for details.
Other Counties in West Virginia
| County | Grade | Score | Claims | Disasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pendleton | A | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| Preston | A | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| Braxton | A | 12 | 3 | 9 |
| Gilmer | A | 12 | 0 | 9 |
| Lewis | A | 12 | 3 | 9 |
| Upshur | A | 12 | 0 | 8 |
More Counties in West Virginia
Frequently Asked Questions
How many FEMA disaster declarations does McDowell County, WV have?
McDowell County, WV has 8 federal disaster declarations on FEMA record (1972–2022). The 5 most recent are: Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (declared Nov 28, 2022, DR-4678); Hurricane Sandy (declared Oct 29, 2012, DR-3358); Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (declared Jun 24, 2010, DR-1918); Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (declared Sep 5, 2005, DR-3221); Flooding, Heavy Winds (declared May 23, 1996, DR-1115). Counts include flood, severe storm, hurricane, and coastal storm declarations from the OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries dataset.
What is the flood risk grade for McDowell County, WV?
McDowell County is graded A (composite score 12/100, low risk). It ranks #1277 of 3,277 U.S. counties for flood risk in our scoring model. The grade combines NFIP claims density (40%), disaster frequency (25%), claim severity (20%), and year-over-year trend (15%).
How many NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in McDowell County?
9 NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in McDowell County, WV, totaling $331,506 in payouts. The average claim is $36,834. Source: FEMA FimaNfipClaims v2 dataset.
Has McDowell County, WV had any recent flood disasters?
Yes. The most recent FEMA declaration affecting McDowell County was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides on Nov 28, 2022 (DR-4678). The county has 8 declared disasters in the OpenFEMA record covering 1972–2022.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA datasets, 2026.