Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Bedford Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bedford Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1978.
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 Bedford Township 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
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 Bedford Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bedford Township, and Bedford Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bedford Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $441K a year in losses across Bedford Township: $367K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bedford Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bedford Township, from FEMA’s records: 29.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $65K
Bedford Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Meigs County.The storms Bedford Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Meigs County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bedford Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19977 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Meigs County
- 20006 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Meigs County
- 19965 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Meigs County
Meigs County has had 14 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 Bedford Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bedford Township archive →Bedford Township and its neighbors
Bedford Township is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bedford Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Scipio Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lodi Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Chester Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Salisbury Township | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
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 Bedford Township 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.
- 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 Bedford Township
Is Bedford Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bedford Township has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bedford Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Bedford Township since 1978, $363K in all, or 29.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (2).
Is Bedford Township 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 Meigs County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bedford Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bedford Township’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 Bedford Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 paid, $65K.
Is Bedford Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Bedford Township’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bedford Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bedford Township’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.