Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Bridgeport’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgeport gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then tornadoes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Bridgeport faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Bridgeport’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bridgeport, and Bridgeport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bridgeport’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Bridgeport: $818K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bridgeport flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bridgeport. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bridgeport isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jackson County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bridgeport
Disasters that paid out in Bridgeport itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bridgeport), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding114 households applied for aid$408K aid approved$41K to the City of Bridgeport for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$23K to the City of Bridgeport for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan$10K to the City of Bridgeport for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding10 households applied for aid$74K aid approved$28K to the City of Bridgeport for repairs
Jackson County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Jackson County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Bridgeport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bridgeport archive →Bridgeport and its neighbors
Bridgeport has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Stevenson | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Bridgeport faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Bridgeport
Is Bridgeport at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgeport has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and tornadoes (18%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Bridgeport in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Jackson County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bridgeport?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bridgeport’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Bridgeport?
By FEMA money that reached Bridgeport, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 114 households applied for aid, $408K approved, and $41K to the City of Bridgeport for repairs.
Is Bridgeport at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Bridgeport’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bridgeport.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bridgeport’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.