Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Bella Villa

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
Mount Pleasant SchoolMount Pleasant School · Photo: Parker Botanical · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bella Villa · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bella Villa

Bella Villa isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bella Villa has 691 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1995.

Flood claims
2
paid since 1995 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 30 declared for St. Louis County
By hazard

What Bella Villa 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

65%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Strong wind 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 34% of Bella Villa’s 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 Bella Villa flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1995

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 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 claims19952008
19952026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ike1 claim · $2K
2
paid claims since 1995
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: St. Louis County.
Disasters

The storms Bella Villa remembers

None of the 30 disasters declared for St. Louis County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bella Villa itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19951 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Hail, Flooding, declared for St. Louis County
  2. 20081 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado, declared for St. Louis County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bella VillaSt. Louis County only

St. Louis County has had 30 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bella Villa archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bella Villa 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Bella Villa

Does Bella Villa flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bella Villa since 1995, $3K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (1).

Is Bella Villa 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 St. Louis County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bella Villa?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 1 paid, $2K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bella Villa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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