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Bono AR 015Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) · CC BY 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bono · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Bono than in 82% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bono gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #82 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (41%), then earthquakes (40%). Flood insurance has paid 48 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 41%Earthquakes 40%Tornadoes 8%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#82 of 123 in Arkansas
Hazard risk
C−#82 of 123
in Arkansas · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
41% of expected building damage
Flood claims
48
paid since 1979 · $409K
Flooded more than once
9
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 23 declared for Craighead County

What stands out about Bono’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Made safer with FEMA grants22 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 16 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 199728 flood claims were paid for 1997 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Bono 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

41%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

40%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Ice storms

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms top 2% Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Landslides top 4% Lightning Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 11% of Bono’s expected losses. Drought does 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 Bono’s grade

River and rain flooding is 41% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bono, and Bono’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 8%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bono sits
Bono
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #82 of 123 in Arkansas; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding41%Earthquakes40%Tornadoes8%Everything else10%

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

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Bono: $805K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bono’s 2,409 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Cash town (280 residents) and Egypt town (113 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Bono flood? Sometimes: 48 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bono, from FEMA’s records: 43.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 2 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 2 claims1990: 11 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 28 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198419901997
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The March storm1 claim · $11K
48
paid claims since 1979
$409K
paid to owners
9
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Craighead County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
22flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
16storm safe rooms built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bono

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding43 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding14 households applied for aid$56K aid approved
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm$47K to the City of Bono for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$14K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  6. 2002Severe Ice Storm$6K to the City of Bono for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BonoCraighead County only

Craighead County has had 23 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 Bono after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bono archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bono 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Bono

Is Bono at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bono has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #82 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (41%) and earthquakes (40%). 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 Bono flood?

Flood insurance has paid 48 claims in Bono since 1979, $409K in all, or 43.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from March storm (1).

Is Bono 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 Craighead County, 2.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Bono?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bono, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding (2011): 14 households applied for aid, $56K approved. By flood claims, March storm: 1 paid, $11K.

Is Bono at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (41%), and Bono’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bono.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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