FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Bethlehem as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethlehem gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #185 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2013.
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 Bethlehem 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
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 Bethlehem’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethlehem, and Bethlehem’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #185 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bethlehem’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bethlehem has more expected damage per building than 64% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Bethlehem: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethlehem flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bethlehem, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bethlehem isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Alexander County.The storms Bethlehem remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Alexander County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bethlehem itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20131 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Alexander County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bethlehem after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bethlehem archive →Bethlehem and its neighbors
Bethlehem is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Stephens | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Bethlehem | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Bethlehem 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.
- 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 Bethlehem
Is Bethlehem at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethlehem has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #185 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Bethlehem flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bethlehem since 2013, $4K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bethlehem 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 Alexander County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bethlehem?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethlehem’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bethlehem at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Bethlehem’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethlehem.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethlehem’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.