Bradley is calmer than 80% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bradley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Bradley’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Bradley?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 20% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 418 of the 438 West Virginia towns we cover.
Bradley is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Does Bradley flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bradley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bradley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Raleigh County.What Bradley faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bradley
Disasters that paid out in Bradley itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bradley) and its biggest flood years.
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds8 households applied for aid
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides7 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides1 household applied for aid
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides9 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides1 household applied for aid
Raleigh County has had 25 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Bradley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bradley archive →Get ready for what Bradley 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 January–March
The month each of Raleigh County’s 25 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 Bradley’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Bradley.
- 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.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bradley.
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.