Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Bellwood faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellwood gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1984.
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 Bellwood 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.
What’s behind Bellwood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bellwood, and Bellwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bellwood’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $467K a year in losses across Bellwood: $398K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bellwood flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bellwood, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bellwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Blair County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bellwood
Disasters that paid out in Bellwood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Bellwood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan27 households applied for aid$50K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Frances20 households applied for aid$52K aid approved
Blair County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bellwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bellwood archive →Bellwood and its neighbors
Bellwood has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellwood | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Reightown | — | 227 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 Bellwood 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 Bellwood
Is Bellwood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellwood has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Bellwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bellwood since 1984, $3K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bellwood 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 Blair County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bellwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bellwood’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 Bellwood?
By FEMA money that reached Bellwood, Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Frances (2004): 20 households applied for aid, $52K approved.
Is Bellwood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Bellwood’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bellwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bellwood’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.