West Point’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Point comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 73 claims here since 1978. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about West Point’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
What West Point faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Does West Point flood? Sometimes: 73 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in West Point, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Isabel44 claims · $2.0M
- Tropical Storm Ernesto8 claims · $123K
- Hurricane Fran5 claims · $25K
West Point isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: King William County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West Point
Disasters that paid out in West Point itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of West Point) and its biggest flood years.
- 2011Hurricane Irene$51K to the Town of West Point for repairs
- 200610 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston1 household applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel235 households applied for aid$279K aid approved$110K to the Town of West Point for repairs45 flood claims paid that year
- 2000Severe Winter Storms$2K to the Town of West Point for repairs
King William County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Old photos of West Point after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the West Point archive →How exposed is West Point?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 61% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 504 of the 700 Virginia towns we cover.
West Point covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Get ready for what West Point 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of King William County’s 21 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 West Point’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of West Point.
- 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 West Point, expected losses total about $1.3M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Point.
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.