Photo: Nathan Metcalf · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Bean Station’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bean Station gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #25 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then earthquakes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Bean Station 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
Earthquakes
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 Bean Station’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bean Station, and Bean Station’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 11% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #25 of 177 in Tennessee; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bean Station’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Tennessee town has higher expected damage than 53% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bean Station has less expected damage per building than 86% of Tennessee towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $607K a year in losses across Bean Station: $441K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bean Station flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bean Station. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bean Station isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grainger County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bean Station
Disasters that paid out in Bean Station itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bean Station), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and$4K to the City of Bean Station for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$12K to the City of Bean Station for repairs
Grainger 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Grainger County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Bean Station after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bean Station archive →Bean Station and its neighbors
Bean Station 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bean Station | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Mooresburg | — | 755 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 Bean Station 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Bean Station
Is Bean Station at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bean Station has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #25 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and earthquakes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Bean Station 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 Grainger County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bean Station?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bean Station’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 Bean Station?
By FEMA money that reached Bean Station, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2011): $12K to the City of Bean Station for repairs.
Is Bean Station at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Bean Station’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bean Station.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bean Station’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.