Parsons’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Parsons comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 204 claims here since 1978. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Parsons’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Parsons flood? Yes: 204 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Parsons, from FEMA’s records.
Parsons is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Tucker County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Parsons
Disasters that paid out in Parsons itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Parsons) and its biggest flood years.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$27K to the City of Parsons for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds$2K to the City of Parsons for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, and$8K to the City of Parsons for repairs
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides$16K to the City of Parsons for repairs
- 1996141 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 198553 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Tucker County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Parsons after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Parsons archive →How exposed is Parsons?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 89% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 253 of the 438 West Virginia towns we cover.
Parsons is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Parsons faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Get ready for what Parsons 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.
- Parsons residents get 10% off flood insurance.
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 Tucker 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 Parsons’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Parsons.
- 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 Parsons.
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.