TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
LesterGood night
Natural hazards · Lester

Lester, WV natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2001. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Lester?

81
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lester to be higher than in 81% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding90%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Lester faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

90% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Lester flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lester, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2001
$695paid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20012026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Lester 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.
Disasters that hit Lester

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Lester itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Lester.

Brought FEMA money into LesterDeclared for Raleigh County only
2025

Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

7 households applied for aid $22K aid approved
2012

Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds

6 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2010

Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides

2 households applied for aid $5K aid approved
2009

Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides

3 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2004

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides

14 households applied for aid $24K aid approved
2003

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides

15 households applied for aid $27K aid approved
2003

Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides

5 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2001

Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides

$3K to the Town of Lester for repairs
Raleigh County has had 25 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Lester is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lester’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Lester. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Lester, WVView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Lester is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map