Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Bratenahl faces less hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bratenahl gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 2 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 Bratenahl 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 Bratenahl’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bratenahl, and Bratenahl’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bratenahl’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $471K a year in losses across Bratenahl: $379K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bratenahl flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bratenahl, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bratenahl 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bratenahl
Disasters that paid out in Bratenahl itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Bratenahl), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Severe Storms and Flooding Due to the Remnants of Hurricane Sandy$60K to the Village of Bratenahl for repairs
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.
Old photos of Bratenahl after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bratenahl archive →Bratenahl and its neighbors
Bratenahl has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bratenahl | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cleveland | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 82 |
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 Bratenahl 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 Bratenahl
Is Bratenahl at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bratenahl has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (10%). 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 Bratenahl flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bratenahl since 1978, $909 in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bratenahl 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 Bratenahl?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bratenahl’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 Bratenahl?
By FEMA money that reached Bratenahl, Severe Storms and Flooding Due to the Remnants of Hurricane Sandy (2012): $60K to the Village of Bratenahl for repairs.
Is Bratenahl at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Bratenahl’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bratenahl.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bratenahl’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.