Natural Disasters in Paw Paw, WV

Hazard risk, disaster history, and FEMA data

Natural Hazard Risk

Source: FEMA National Risk Index

Risk Score

30.4

Very Low

Expected Annual Loss

25.1

Score (0-100)

Social Vulnerability

71.6

Score (0-100)

Community Resilience

36.3

Score (0-100)

Top Hazard Risks

Landslide82.3Hurricane62.6Strong Wind60.1

Hazard	Risk Score
Landslide	82.3
Hurricane	62.6
Strong Wind	60.1
Avalanche	52.9
Drought	51.8
Heat Wave	34.8
Earthquake	30.4
Winter Weather	30.1
Hail	22.6
Wildfire	20.2
Lightning	18.5
Tornado	18.4
Cold Wave	13.7
Ice Storm	8.4

Scores range from 0 (lowest risk) to 100 (highest risk) relative to all U.S. communities. Data from FEMA National Risk Index.

Disaster Declarations

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA

Total Declarations

Most Recent

Winter Storm

Jan 2026

Most Common Type

Severe Storm

5 declarations

Date	Type	Declaration
Jan 24, 2026	Winter Storm	SEVERE WINTER STORM
Apr 3, 2020	Biological	COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Mar 13, 2020	Biological	COVID-19
Jul 12, 2018	Severe Storm	SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES
Oct 29, 2012	Hurricane	HURRICANE SANDY
Jun 30, 2012	Severe Storm	SEVERE STORMS
Apr 23, 2010	Snowstorm	SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORMS
Sep 5, 2005	Hurricane	HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION
Sep 20, 2004	Severe Storm	SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES
Sep 23, 2003	Hurricane	HURRICANE ISABEL
Mar 14, 2003	Severe Storm	SEVERE WINTER STORM, RECORD/NEAR RECORD SNOW, HEAVY RAINS, FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES
Sep 11, 1996	Severe Storm	HURRICANE FRAN AND ASSOCIATED HEAVY RAINS,FLOODING HIGHWIND
Jan 25, 1996	Flood	FLOODING
Jan 13, 1996	Snowstorm	BLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM)
Mar 17, 1993	Snowstorm	SEVERE SNOWFALL & WINTER STORM
Nov 7, 1985	Flood	SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING
Jul 3, 1972	Flood	TROPICAL STORM AGNES

Individual Assistance

Source: FEMA Housing Assistance

Total IA Registrations

Total IA Distributed

$52,133

Repair/Replace

$1,278

Disaster	Registrations	Total IA $	Avg Damage
DR-1558	2	N/A	$75
DR-4517	5	$33,005	—
DR-4491	2	$17,849	—
DR-1492	1	$1,278	$1,278

Individual and household assistance for homeowners and renters affected by federally declared disasters.

Flood Insurance (NFIP)

Source: FEMA NFIP

Total Claims

204

Total Claims Paid

$3,118,469

Avg Claim Payout

$15,287

County-level NFIP data from FEMA National Flood Insurance Program.

Disaster Recovery Spending

Source: FEMA Public Assistance

Total Federal Spending

$149,290

Disasters with PA

Total Projects

Disaster	Type	Projects	Federal $
DR-4378	Severe Storm(s)	7	$99,153
DR-1903	Snow	13	$50,137

Hazard Mitigation

Source: FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance

Mitigation Projects

Federal Funding

$1,178,061

Properties Protected

Avg Benefit-Cost Ratio

1.89

BCR

Top Mitigation Project Types

Project Type	Projects	Federal $
200.1: Acquisition of Private Real Property (Structures and Land) - Riverine	2	$371,223
91.5: Local Multijurisdictional Multihazard Mitigation Plan - UPDATE	1	$38,175
700.1: Management Costs - Salaries; 91.5: Local Multijurisdictional Multihazard Mitigation Plan - UPDATE	1	$60,563
601.2: Generators - Regular	1	$708,100

Federally funded projects to reduce future disaster risk. Only includes completed or obligated projects.

Paw Paw has a very low overall natural hazard risk rating according to FEMA's National Risk Index. The top hazard risks are landslide, hurricane, strong wind. The area has had 17 federal disaster declarations. The most common disaster type is severe storm (5 declarations). 204 flood insurance claims have been filed in the area. FEMA has obligated $149,290 in public assistance recovery funding. $52,133 has been distributed in individual assistance to disaster-affected residents. 5 hazard mitigation projects have been funded to reduce future risk.