Photo: Farther Along · CC BY 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Bearden
Bearden isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bearden has 826 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2004.
What Bearden 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
Earthquakes
Ice storms
Tornadoes
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.
Does Bearden flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bearden, from FEMA’s records.
Bearden isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ouachita County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bearden
Disasters that paid out in Bearden itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bearden), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding48 households applied for aid$403K aid approved
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$40K to the City of Bearden for repairs
Ouachita County has had 23 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Ouachita County, 2026–2026.
Old photos of Bearden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bearden archive →Get ready for what Bearden 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bearden
Does Bearden flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bearden since 2004, $25K in all.
Is Bearden 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 Ouachita County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bearden?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bearden’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 Bearden?
By FEMA money that reached Bearden, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2025): 48 households applied for aid, $403K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bearden.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bearden’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.