Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Philipp Michel Reichold assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 2.5More hazard damage per building is expected in Belleair Beach than in 74% of U.S. towns, led by coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belleair Beach gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (40%), then hurricanes (37%). Flood insurance has paid 939 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Belleair Beach’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Belleair Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Belleair Beach’s grade
Coastal flooding is 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belleair Beach, and Belleair Beach’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 37%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Belleair Beach’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $872K a year in losses across Belleair Beach: $710K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Belleair Beach flood? Yes: 939 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belleair Beach, from FEMA’s records: 826.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene387 claims · $59.8M
- The Blizzard of 1993205 claims · $4.2M
- Hurricane Elena111 claims · $3.0M
Belleair Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pinellas County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belleair Beach
Disasters that paid out in Belleair Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Belleair Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton191 households applied for aid$363K aid approved$586K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs
- 2024Hurricane Helene418 households applied for aid$3.4M aid approved$536K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs387 flood claims paid for it, $59.8M
- 2024Hurricane Debby4 households applied for aid$600 aid approved
- 2023Hurricane Idalia8 households applied for aid$36K aid approved10 flood claims paid that year
- 2022Hurricane Ian17 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$5K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma154 households applied for aid$38K aid approved$112K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs
Show all 9
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne15 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$7K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances10 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$18K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$5K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs
Pinellas County has had 32 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinellas County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Belleair Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belleair Beach archive →Belleair Beach and its neighbors
Belleair Beach is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater | B−more damage than 53% | hurricanes | 2,320 |
| Belleair Beach | Cmore damage than 74% | coastal flooding | 939 |
| Belleair Shore | — | 56 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Belleair Beach faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Belleair Beach residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Belleair Beach
Is Belleair Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belleair Beach has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (40%) and hurricanes (37%). 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 Belleair Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 939 claims in Belleair Beach since 1979, $72.9M in all, or 826.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 84 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (387).
Is Belleair Beach 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 Pinellas County, 19.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Belleair Beach?
Belleair Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Belleair Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Belleair Beach, Hurricane Helene (2024): 418 households applied for aid, $3.4M approved, and $536K to the City of Belleair Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 387 paid, $59.8M.
Is Belleair Beach at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Belleair Beach’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belleair Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belleair Beach’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.