Storms, floods and disasters in Belleair Shore
Belleair Shore isn’t graded for hazard risk: Belleair Shore has 56 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 54 claims here since 1985.
What Belleair Shore 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.
Does Belleair Shore flood? Sometimes: 54 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belleair Shore, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Helene24 claims · $3.7M
- Hurricane Elena14 claims · $428K
- The Blizzard of 19935 claims · $97K
Belleair Shore isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pinellas County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belleair Shore
Disasters that paid out in Belleair Shore itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Belleair Shore), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton2 households applied for aid$770 aid approved$16K to the Town of Belleair Shore for repairs
- 2024Hurricane Helene3 households applied for aid$26K aid approved24 flood claims paid for it, $3.7M
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 Shore after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belleair Shore archive →Belleair Shore and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belleair Beach | Cmore damage than 74% | coastal flooding | 939 |
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 Shore 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Belleair Shore
Does Belleair Shore flood?
Flood insurance has paid 54 claims in Belleair Shore since 1985, $4.3M in all. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (24).
Is Belleair Shore 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 Shore?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belleair Shore’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 Belleair Shore?
By FEMA money that reached Belleair Shore, Hurricane Helene (2024): 3 households applied for aid, $26K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 24 paid, $3.7M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belleair Shore.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belleair Shore’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.