Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Bell Township
Bell Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bell Township has 544 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1996.
What Bell 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.
Does Bell Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bell Township, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $49K
Bell 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: Clearfield County.The storms Bell Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Clearfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bell Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199611 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Clearfield County
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20061 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clearfield 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 Bell Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bell Township archive →Bell Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnside Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Brady Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Greenwood Township | — | 406 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Newburg | — | 63 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gaskill Township | — | 700 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Banks Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Ferguson Township | — | 652 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Bell 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 Bell Township
Does Bell Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Bell Township since 1996, $239K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (1).
Is Bell 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 Clearfield County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bell Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bell 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 Bell Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 1 paid, $49K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bell Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bell 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.