Joseph Bellamy House · Photo: Jerry Dougherty · CC BY 2.5On FEMA’s figures, Bethlehem faces less hazard damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethlehem gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #20 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (25%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.
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
What Bethlehem 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
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Bethlehem’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethlehem, and Bethlehem’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 25% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).
B #20 of 155 in Connecticut; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bethlehem’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bethlehem has less expected damage per building than 88% of Connecticut towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Bethlehem: $981K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethlehem flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bethlehem, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $10K
Bethlehem isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: the county.Bethlehem and its neighbors
Bethlehem has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Morris | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Watertown | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 65 |
| Washington | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Woodbury | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Bethlehem Village | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Bethlehem 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Bethlehem
Is Bethlehem at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethlehem has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #20 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (25%). 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 Bethlehem flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bethlehem since 2011, $10K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Bethlehem 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 the county, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bethlehem?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethlehem’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 Bethlehem?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $10K.
Is Bethlehem at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Bethlehem’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethlehem.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethlehem’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.