Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Fairfield Bay

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
Fairfield Bay, Arkansas 005Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fairfield Bay · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Fairfield Bay faces more hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Bay gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then ice storms (17%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 54%Ice storms 17%Tornadoes 15%

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
Hazard risk
C−
in Arkansas · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Van Buren County
By hazard

What Fairfield Bay 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 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

17%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

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Hail Winter storms top 3% 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 tornadoes at 28% of Fairfield Bay’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (14.6%), 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 Fairfield Bay’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfield Bay, and Fairfield Bay’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 17%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fairfield Bay sits
Fairfield Bay
Least damageMiddleMost damage

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

Fairfield Bay’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Ice storms17%Tornadoes15%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Fairfield Bay: $980K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Fairfield Bay covers 3 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 Fairfield Bay flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Van Buren County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairfield Bay

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

  1. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding$8K to the City of Fairfield Bay for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$17K to the City of Fairfield Bay for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm$28K to the City of Fairfield Bay for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  5. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$19K to the City of Fairfield Bay for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$360 aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$36K to the City of Fairfield Bay for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fairfield BayVan Buren County only

Van Buren County has had 21 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 Fairfield Bay after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fairfield Bay archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Fairfield Bay 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 Fairfield Bay

Is Fairfield Bay at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Bay has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and ice storms (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Fairfield Bay 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 Van Buren County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Fairfield Bay?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fairfield Bay, Severe Winter Ice Storm (2000): $36K to the City of Fairfield Bay for repairs.

Is Fairfield Bay at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Fairfield Bay’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfield Bay.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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