Vinton’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Vinton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Vinton’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Vinton flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vinton, from FEMA’s records.
Vinton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Vinton County.How exposed is Vinton?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 48% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 1,920 of the 2,573 Ohio towns we cover.
Vinton covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Vinton faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Heat waves
1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Vinton
Disasters that paid out in Vinton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Township of Vinton) and its biggest flood years.
- 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/Near Record Snow$12K to the Township of Vinton for repairs
Vinton County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Vinton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vinton archive →Get ready for what Vinton actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Know the nearest cooling center or air-conditioned library.
- Drink water before you feel thirsty.
- Check on neighbors who live alone.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Vinton and its neighbors
Vinton ranks 2nd calmest of 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Vinton | Moderate | inland flooding | 1 |
| Madison | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Wilkesville | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Clinton | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in January–February
The month each of Vinton County’s 13 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Vinton’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Vinton.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Vinton, expected losses total about $768K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vinton.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.