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Bemidji Great Northern DepotPhoto: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bemidji · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Bemidji faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bemidji gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #167 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 91%Tornadoes 6%Hail 2%

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

more than 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#167 of 274 in Minnesota
Hazard risk
B−#167 of 274
in Minnesota · higher than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 18 declared for Beltrami County
By hazard

What Bemidji 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

91%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms top 5% Wildfire Strong wind Lightning Earthquakes Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 17% of Bemidji’s expected losses. Cold 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bemidji’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bemidji, and Bemidji’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bemidji sits
Bemidji
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #167 of 274 in Minnesota; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bemidji’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Tornadoes6%Everything else4%

The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bemidji has more expected damage per building than 61% of Minnesota towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Bemidji: $4.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Bemidji’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bemidji flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Beltrami County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bemidji

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

  1. 2022Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$13K to the City of Bemidji for repairs
  2. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$19K to the City of Bemidji for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding33 households applied for aid$72K aid approved$44K to the City of Bemidji for repairs
  4. 2002Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes$750 to the City of Bemidji for repairs
  5. 58 households applied for aid$71K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BemidjiBeltrami County only

Beltrami County has had 18 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 Bemidji after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bemidji archive →
Next door

Bemidji and its neighbors

Bemidji is 4th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bemidji Township: hazard risk C+Northern Township: hazard risk CEckles Township: hazard risk A−Grant Valley Township: hazard risk BFrohn Township: hazard risk C+Turtle River Township: hazard risk B−Bemidji TownshipNorthern TownshipEckles TownshipGrant Valley TownshipFrohn TownshipTurtle River TownshipBemidji
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Eckles TownshipA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding—
Grant Valley TownshipBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding—
Turtle River TownshipB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding—
BemidjiB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding0
Bemidji TownshipC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding—
Frohn TownshipC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
Northern TownshipCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Bemidji 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 ↗
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 Bemidji

Is Bemidji at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bemidji has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #167 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Bemidji 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 Beltrami County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Bemidji?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bemidji, Severe Storms and Flooding (2009): 33 households applied for aid, $72K approved, and $44K to the City of Bemidji for repairs.

Is Bemidji at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Bemidji’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bemidji.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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