Smithers’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Smithers comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1991. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Smithers’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Smithers flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Smithers, from FEMA’s records.
- The West Virginia Flooding4 claims · $281K
Smithers 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 Smithers?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 97% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 386 of the 438 West Virginia towns we cover.
Smithers is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Smithers faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Smithers
Disasters that paid out in Smithers itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Smithers) and its biggest flood years.
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2022Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$164K to the City of Smithers for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$700 aid approved
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds1 household applied for aid
- 2001Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$75K to the City of Smithers for repairs
Fayette County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.
Old photos of Smithers after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Smithers archive →Get ready for what Smithers 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.
Smithers and its neighbors
Smithers has the lowest rating of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | Very high | inland flooding | 1 |
| Smithers | Very high | inland flooding | 7 |
| Boomer | Very high | 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 Smithers’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Smithers.
- 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 Smithers.
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.