Flood insurance is sort of peculiar, and given that this is being regarded as a 100 year flood, they may not have had it.
Most I have spoken to did not have it. To be honest with you if I lived by a river or creek it would be a good idea. Have lived by a creek in West Virginia and the first time it rains cats and dogs that creek becomes a river. One is a fool not to have flood insurance. Or just not live near a creek or river.
Given the event, not that many houses were destroyed, estimates about a hundred.
It was bad for two reasons, loss of life 26 perhaps, third deadliest in WV, and infrastructure destruction. The severity of the storm was not predicted. A derecho followed by training storms, inches of water pouring from the sky nonstop for hours. This accounted for loss of life, especially for those unaware of immediately pending weather conditions.
If you have priced flood insurance lately, you will see it is not an option for many. After New Orleans and the many beach front floods of recent years, premiums have skyrocketed. More than most mortgage payments for alot of WV.