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Berryville AR - downtownPhoto: Clinton Steeds from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY 2.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Berryville · FEMA

Berryville’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berryville gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #13 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then ice storms (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 52%Ice storms 22%Tornadoes 13%

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

less than 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#13 of 123 in Arkansas
Hazard risk
B−#13 of 123
in Arkansas · lower than 53% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
52% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 17 declared for Carroll County
By hazard

What Berryville 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

52%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Winter storms top 4% Wildfire Hurricanes Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Berryville’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Berryville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Berryville, and Berryville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 22%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Berryville sits
Berryville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #13 of 123 in Arkansas; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Berryville’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding52%Ice storms22%Tornadoes13%Everything else12%

The typical Arkansas town has higher expected damage than 73% of U.S. towns; within the state, Berryville has less expected damage per building than 90% of Arkansas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Berryville: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Berryville covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Berryville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Berryville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Carroll County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Berryville

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$19K to the City of Berryville for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$641 aid approved
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding13 households applied for aid$70K aid approved
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storm$485K to the City of Berryville for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding16 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BerryvilleCarroll County only

Carroll County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Berryville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Berryville 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Berryville

Is Berryville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berryville has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #13 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and ice storms (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Berryville 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 Carroll County, 1% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Berryville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Berryville, Severe Winter Storm (2009): $485K to the City of Berryville for repairs.

Is Berryville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Berryville’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Berryville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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