FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Bel Aire as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bel Aire gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #41 of 151 in Kansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1999.
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 Bel Aire 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
Tornadoes
Hail
Wildfire
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 Bel Aire’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bel Aire, and Bel Aire’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B #41 of 151 in Kansas; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bel Aire’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Kansas town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bel Aire has less expected damage per building than 73% of Kansas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Bel Aire: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bel Aire flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bel Aire, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bel Aire isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sedgwick County.The storms Bel Aire remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Sedgwick County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bel Aire itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19991 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Tornadoes, declared for Sedgwick County
- 20161 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Sedgwick County
Sedgwick County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bel Aire after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bel Aire archive →Bel Aire and its neighbors
Bel Aire is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payne Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bel Aire | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Kechi | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Wichita | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 389 |
| Kechi Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Greenwich | — | 62 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 Bel Aire faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Bel Aire
Is Bel Aire at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bel Aire has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #41 of 151 in Kansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bel Aire flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bel Aire since 1999, $4K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bel Aire 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 Sedgwick County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bel Aire?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bel Aire’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bel Aire at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Bel Aire’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bel Aire.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bel Aire’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.