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Bell-Buckle-downtown-tn1Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bell Buckle · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bell Buckle

Bell Buckle isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bell Buckle has 529 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 14 declared for Bedford County
By hazard

What Bell Buckle 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

70%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Hurricanes Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Cold waves Wildfire 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 cold waves at 19% of Bell Buckle’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Bell Buckle flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bell Buckle. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Bedford County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bell Buckle

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

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$248 aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$4K to the Town of Bell Buckle for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bell BuckleBedford County only

Bedford County has had 14 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 Bell Buckle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bell Buckle archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bell Buckle 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Bell Buckle

Is Bell Buckle 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 Bedford County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bell Buckle?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bell Buckle, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 3 households applied for aid, $6K approved, and $4K to the Town of Bell Buckle for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bell Buckle.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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