Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Beetown
Beetown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Beetown has 792 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1986.
What Beetown 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
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 Beetown flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Beetown, from FEMA’s records.
- The Severe flooding4 claims · $21K
Beetown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grant County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Beetown
Disasters that paid out in Beetown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Beetown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud$58K to the Town of Beetown for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$21K to the Town of Beetown for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Town of Beetown for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$27K to the Town of Beetown for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$54K aid approved$82K to the Town of Beetown for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$90K to the Town of Beetown for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$16K to the Town of Beetown for repairs
Grant County has had 17 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 Beetown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Beetown archive →Beetown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Lancaster | — | 808 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Waterloo | — | 675 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Glen Haven | — | 411 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Little Grant | — | 253 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cassville | — | 402 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bloomington | — | 308 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 Beetown 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.
- 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 Beetown
Does Beetown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Beetown since 1986, $208K in all. The most claims came from Severe flooding (4).
Is Beetown 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 Grant County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Beetown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Beetown’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 Beetown?
By FEMA money that reached Beetown, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 14 households applied for aid, $54K approved, and $82K to the Town of Beetown for repairs. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 4 paid, $21K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beetown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Beetown’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.