Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Bernice

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Bernice Town Hall 8-2026Photo: TulGuy · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bernice · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bernice

Bernice isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bernice has 396 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015.

Flood claims
1
paid since 2015 · $33K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 26 declared for Delaware County
By hazard

What Bernice 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

83%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Winter storms top 4% Hurricanes Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 9% of Bernice’s expected losses. Drought does 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Bernice flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bernice, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2015
20152026
Biggest named events
  • The Early summer storms1 claim · $33K
1
paid claims since 2015
$33K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$33K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Delaware County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bernice

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding13 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$20K to the Town of Bernice for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  4. 2007Severe Winter Storms$3K to the Town of Bernice for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$788 aid approved
  6. 2007Severe Winter Storms$9K to the Town of Bernice for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BerniceDelaware County only

Delaware County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bernice after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bernice archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bernice 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 ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
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 Bernice

Does Bernice flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bernice since 2015, $33K in all. The most claims came from Early summer storms (1).

Is Bernice 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 Delaware County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bernice?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bernice, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2019): 13 households applied for aid, $30K approved. By flood claims, Early summer storms: 1 paid, $33K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bernice.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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