Hilltop’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hilltop comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Hilltop’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Hilltop flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hilltop. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hilltop isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fayette County.How exposed is Hilltop?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 56% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 373 of the 438 West Virginia towns we cover.
Hilltop is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Hilltop faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Lightning
4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hilltop
Disasters that paid out in Hilltop itself (aid to households or repair grants to Hilltop) and its biggest flood years.
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 household applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds15 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 household applied for aid
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides2 households applied for aid
Fayette County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.
Old photos of Hilltop after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hilltop archive →Get ready for what Hilltop 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.
- When thunder roars, go indoors.
- Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.
- Unplug electronics before the storm.
- 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.
- 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.
Hilltop and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltop | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Glen Jean | Moderate | 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–March
The month each of Fayette County’s 20 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 Hilltop’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Hilltop.
- 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 Hilltop.
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.