Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Bellefonte’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellefonte gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Bellefonte 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
Earthquakes
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 Bellefonte’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bellefonte, and Bellefonte’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bellefonte’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $195K a year in losses across Bellefonte: $131K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bellefonte flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bellefonte. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bellefonte isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: New Castle County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bellefonte
Disasters that paid out in Bellefonte itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bellefonte), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Bellefonte for repairs
New Castle County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bellefonte after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bellefonte archive →Bellefonte and its neighbors
Bellefonte has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellefonte | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Edgemoor | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Bellefonte 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Bellefonte
Is Bellefonte at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellefonte has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (8%). 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.
Is Bellefonte 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 New Castle County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bellefonte?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bellefonte’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 Bellefonte?
By FEMA money that reached Bellefonte, Snow (2003): $7K to the Town of Bellefonte for repairs.
Is Bellefonte at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Bellefonte’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bellefonte.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bellefonte’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.