24 flood insurance claims·$127,744 paid·1 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Bristol city, Virginia. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2018, with 4 claims and $23,282 paid, the year of Hurricane Florence.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
1 NOAA storm reports from Bristol city describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Feb 10, 2025 |
| Post-tropical Cyclone Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Blizzard Of 96 (severe Snow Storm) | Jan 6, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 30, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2011 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2010 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 24, 2009 | — |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2003 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2025. Training thunderstorms affected the far northeast Tennessee valley and southwest Virginia on the evening of the 30th, producing some flash flooding across those areas.
Flood · Feb 1, 2025. A strong upper trough over the central plains produced two days of rain over southwest Virginia as it approached and crossed the area between the end of January and first day of February. Minor flooding along the Clinch river occurred as a result, with rises beginning on January 31st but crossing into flood categories on February 1st.
Flood · Jan 30, 2013. Heavy rain returned to the area. With soils already saturated from the event of the 15th-16th, flooding again developed.
Flood · Feb 28, 2011. A strong storm system triggered slow moving thunderstorms across southwest VA on the 28th. The storms brought heavy rain and flooding to many cities and rural areas.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Bristol city is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.