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Berea OHPhoto: The original uploader was Geoffrey.landis at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 1.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Berea · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Berea than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berea gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #152 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 86%Tornadoes 9%Earthquakes 3%

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

less than 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#152 of 993 in Ohio
Hazard risk
A#152 of 993
in Ohio · lower than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 2011 · $235K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 15 declared for Cuyahoga County
By hazard

What Berea 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

86%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 21% of Berea’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 Berea’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Berea, and Berea’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Berea sits
Berea
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #152 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Berea’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Tornadoes9%Everything else5%

The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Berea has less expected damage per building than 85% of Ohio towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Berea: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Berea covers 6 census tracts, combined by where 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 Berea flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Berea, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120152020
20112026
6
paid claims since 2011
$235K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$39K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cuyahoga County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Berea

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

  1. 2012Severe Storms and Flooding Due to the Remnants of Hurricane Sandy$93K to the City of Berea for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding20 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$13K to the City of Berea for repairs
  3. 2003Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, and High Winds20 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BereaCuyahoga County only

Cuyahoga County has had 15 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 Berea after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Berea archive →
Next door

Berea and its neighbors

Berea is 3rd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Middleburg Heights: hazard risk A+Olmsted Falls: hazard risk A−Olmsted Township: hazard risk A−Brook Park: hazard risk C+Strongsville: hazard risk AMiddleburg HeightsOlmsted FallsOlmsted TownshipBrook ParkStrongsvilleBerea
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Middleburg HeightsA+less damage than 95%river and rain flooding31
StrongsvilleAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding38
BereaAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding6
Olmsted TownshipA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding4
Olmsted FallsA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding—
Brook ParkC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding2

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 Berea 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 Berea

Is Berea at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berea has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #152 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Berea flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Berea since 2011, $235K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Berea 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 Cuyahoga County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Berea?

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

By FEMA money that reached Berea, Severe Storms and Flooding Due to the Remnants of Hurricane Sandy (2012): $93K to the City of Berea for repairs.

Is Berea at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Berea’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Berea.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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