On FEMA’s figures, Ben Avon faces less hazard damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ben Avon gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2021.
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 Ben Avon 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
Earthquakes
Ice storms
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 Ben Avon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ben Avon, and Ben Avon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ben Avon’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $725K a year in losses across Ben Avon: $567K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ben Avon flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2021
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ben Avon, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ben Avon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Spartanburg County.The storms Ben Avon remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Spartanburg County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ben Avon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20211 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Spartanburg County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Ben Avon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ben Avon archive →Ben Avon and its neighbors
Ben Avon is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spartanburg | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Ben Avon | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Ben Avon 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Ben Avon
Is Ben Avon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ben Avon has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ben Avon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Ben Avon since 2021, $2K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ben Avon 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 Spartanburg County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ben Avon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ben Avon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ben Avon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Ben Avon’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ben Avon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ben Avon’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.