Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Bald Knob

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Fredonia Cemetery Historic SectionFredonia Cemetery Historic Section · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bald Knob · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Bald Knob than in 81% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bald Knob gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #81 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%), then earthquakes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 42%Earthquakes 41%Ice storms 7%

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

more than 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#81 of 123 in Arkansas
Hazard risk
C−#81 of 123
in Arkansas · higher than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
42% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 1982 · $125K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 24 declared for White County
By hazard

What Bald Knob 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

42%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Winter storms top 4% Wildfire Hurricanes Lightning top 5% Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bald Knob’s grade

River and rain flooding is 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bald Knob, and Bald Knob’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 7%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bald Knob sits
Bald Knob
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #81 of 123 in Arkansas; higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Bald Knob’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding42%Earthquakes41%Ice storms7%Everything else10%

The typical Arkansas town has higher expected damage than 73% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bald Knob has more expected damage per building than 66% of Arkansas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Bald Knob: $813K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bald Knob’s 2,522 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bald Knob flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bald Knob, from FEMA’s records: 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 2 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 2 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198220032014
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The Spring storm1 claim · $20K
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $7K
9
paid claims since 1982
$125K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bald Knob isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: White County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
20storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bald Knob

Disasters that paid out in Bald Knob itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bald Knob), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding24 households applied for aid$88K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding26 households applied for aid$117K aid approved$20K to the City of Bald Knob for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$44K to the City of Bald Knob for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bald KnobWhite County only

White County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bald Knob after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bald Knob archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bald Knob faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Bald Knob

Is Bald Knob at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bald Knob has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #81 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%) and earthquakes (41%). 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.

Does Bald Knob flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Bald Knob since 1982, $125K in all, or 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Spring storm (1).

Is Bald Knob 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 White County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bald Knob?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bald Knob’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 Bald Knob?

By FEMA money that reached Bald Knob, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 26 households applied for aid, $117K approved, and $20K to the City of Bald Knob for repairs. By flood claims, Spring storm: 1 paid, $20K.

Is Bald Knob at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Bald Knob’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bald Knob.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bald Knob’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.