Natural hazards · Belleville

Belleville, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Belleville comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 38 claims here since 1979. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Belleville?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Belleville to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes40%Inland flooding31%Heat waves9%Cold waves9%Tornadoes7%Everything else4%

By hazard

What Belleville faces

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

Earthquakes

40% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

31% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Heat waves

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Belleville flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belleville, from FEMA’s records.

38paid claims since 1979

$472Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 3 claims, $17K
Mid-spring storms: 3 claims, $10K
March storm: 1 claim, $4K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: St. Clair County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

66flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Belleville

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Belleville itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Belleville.

Brought FEMA money into BellevilleDeclared for St. Clair County only

2024

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng

2,428 households applied for aid $6.8M aid approved

2022

Severe Storm and Flooding

1,476 households applied for aid $3.5M aid approved

2006

Severe Winter Storm

$289K to the City of Belleville for repairs

St. Clair County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Belleville

Belleville and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

East St. Louismostly inland floodingVery high

Centrevillemostly inland floodingVery high

Bellevillemostly earthquakesHigh

Freeburgmostly inland floodingHigh

St. Clairmostly inland floodingHigh

Swanseamostly inland floodingHigh

Shiloh Valleymostly inland floodingHigh

Smithtonmostly earthquakesHigh

Freeburgmostly inland floodingHigh

Caseyvillemostly earthquakesHigh

Stookeymostly earthquakesModerate

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. Belleville covers 10 census tracts, combined by population.

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

FEMA’s expected losses across Belleville total about $23.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.