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20140310 23 Belle Plaine, IowaPhoto: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Belle Plaine · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Belle Plaine faces less hazard damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belle Plaine gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2024.

River and rain flooding 59%Tornadoes 15%Strong wind 11%

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

less than 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Iowa · lower than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2024 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 15 declared for Benton County

What stands out about Belle Plaine’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone home bought out and moved with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Belle Plaine 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

59%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Wildfire Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Heat waves top 3% Hurricanes Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Belle Plaine’s grade

River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belle Plaine, and Belle Plaine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 11%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Belle Plaine sits
Belle Plaine
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Belle Plaine’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding59%Tornadoes15%Strong wind11%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $879K a year in losses across Belle Plaine: $632K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms in 2020, FEMA took 128 aid registrations from Belle Plaine addresses (the town has 1,149 homes).
Shared tract.All of Belle Plaine’s 2,330 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Belle Plaine flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2024

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belle Plaine, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2024
20242026
1
paid claims since 2024
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Benton County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone home bought out and moved
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belle Plaine

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

  1. 2020Severe Storms128 households applied for aid$36K aid approved$262K to the City of Belle Plaine for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$3K to the City of Belle Plaine for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$22K aid approved$17K to the City of Belle Plaine for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Winter Storms$27K to the City of Belle Plaine for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Belle PlaineBenton County only

Benton County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Belle Plaine archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Belle Plaine faces

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

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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Belle Plaine

Is Belle Plaine at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belle Plaine has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and tornadoes (15%). 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 Belle Plaine flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Belle Plaine since 2024, $4K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Belle Plaine 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 Benton County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Belle Plaine?

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

By FEMA money that reached Belle Plaine, Severe Storms (2020): 128 households applied for aid, $36K approved, and $262K to the City of Belle Plaine for repairs.

Is Belle Plaine at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Belle Plaine’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belle Plaine.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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