Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Brussels

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
St Mary's Church, BrusselsPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Brussels · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Brussels

Brussels isn’t graded for hazard risk: Brussels has 214 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1983.

Flood claims
8
paid since 1983 · $49K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Calhoun County
By hazard

What Brussels 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

87%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 21% of Brussels’ expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Brussels flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1983

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brussels, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 2 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 4 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198319861993
19832026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding2 claims · $23K
8
paid claims since 1983
$49K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Calhoun County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
8flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brussels

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
  3. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$2K to the Village of Brussels for repairs
  4. 2001Flooding$14K to the Village of Brussels for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BrusselsCalhoun County only

Calhoun County has had 22 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 Brussels after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Brussels archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Brussels 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 ↗
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 Brussels

Does Brussels flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Brussels since 1983, $49K in all. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (2).

Is Brussels 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 Calhoun County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Brussels?

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

By FEMA money that reached Brussels, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 11 households applied for aid, $26K approved. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 2 paid, $23K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brussels.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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