Natural hazards · Bedford

Bedford, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bedford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Bedford?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bedford to be higher than in 72% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding33%Earthquakes21%Heat waves19%Tornadoes9%Cold waves7%Drought6%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Bedford faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

33% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Heat waves

19% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Drought

6% of expected damage

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Bedford flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bedford.

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Bedford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Wayne County.

Disasters that hit Bedford

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Wayne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bedford itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into BedfordDeclared for Wayne County only

Wayne County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often tornadoes and severe storms.

Around Bedford

Bedford and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bedfordmostly inland floodingHigh

Indian Prairiemostly inland floodingHigh

Lamardmostly inland floodingHigh

Keithmostly inland floodingHigh

Elm Rivermostly inland floodingHigh

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Bedford is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bedford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Bedford. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.