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Bristol City Hall, fire stationPhoto: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bristol · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bristol

Bristol isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Bristol yet.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 29 declared for Liberty County
By hazard

What Bristol faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

62%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

31%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Coastal flooding Cold waves Lightning Hail Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Ice stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts lightning at 10% of Bristol’s expected losses. Lightning does little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Bristol flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Liberty County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
3buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bristol

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Sally$14K to the City of Bristol for repairs
  2. 2018Hurricane Michael1,123 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$499K to the City of Bristol for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds17 households applied for aid$40K aid approved
  4. 2008Tropical Storm Fay7 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  5. 2005Hurricane Dennis1 households applied for aid$836 aid approved
  6. 2004Hurricane Ivan73 households applied for aid$182K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BristolLiberty County only

Liberty County has had 29 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Liberty County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bristol after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bristol archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bristol faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Bristol

Is Bristol 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 Liberty County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bristol?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bristol, Hurricane Michael (2018): 1,123 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved, and $499K to the City of Bristol for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bristol.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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