Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Belle Valley
Belle Valley isn’t graded for hazard risk: Belle Valley has 186 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 81 claims here since 1980.
What Belle Valley 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.
Does Belle Valley flood? Sometimes: 81 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belle Valley, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan22 claims · $266K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $8K
Belle Valley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Noble County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belle Valley
Disasters that paid out in Belle Valley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Belle Valley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding42 households applied for aid$137K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Noble 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 Belle Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belle Valley archive →Get ready for what Belle Valley 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 Belle Valley
Does Belle Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 81 claims in Belle Valley since 1980, $1.4M in all. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (22).
Is Belle Valley 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 Noble County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Belle Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belle Valley’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 Belle Valley?
By FEMA money that reached Belle Valley, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 42 households applied for aid, $137K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 22 paid, $266K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belle Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belle Valley’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.