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Ward-Stout HouseWard-Stout House · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bradford · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bradford

Bradford isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bradford has 522 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
8
of 24 declared for White County
By hazard

What Bradford 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

54%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Strong wind Hail Winter storms top 4% Hurricanes Lightning top 5% 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 tornadoes at 16% of Bradford’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (5.8%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Bradford flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bradford. 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

Bradford 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
30storm safe rooms built
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bradford

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Storms and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$40K aid approved
  3. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding35 households applied for aid$128K aid approved
  5. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding33 households applied for aid$300K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding22 households applied for aid$43K aid approved$18K to the City of Bradford for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2002Severe Ice Storm$2K to the City of Bradford for repairs
  2. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$8K to the City of Bradford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BradfordWhite 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 Bradford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bradford archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bradford 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 Bradford

Is Bradford 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 Bradford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bradford, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 33 households applied for aid, $300K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bradford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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