Natural hazards · Bethalto

Bethalto, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bethalto comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bethalto?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bethalto to be higher than in 50% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding27%Earthquakes23%Tornadoes17%Heat waves14%Cold waves13%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Bethalto faces

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

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

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

Heat waves

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

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 Bethalto flood?

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

7paid claims since 1979

$97Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Madison County.

Disasters that hit Bethalto

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BethaltoDeclared for Madison County only

Madison County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Bethalto

Bethalto and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Wood Rivermostly inland floodingHigh

Fort Russellmostly inland floodingHigh

Rosewood Heightsmostly inland floodingHigh

Moromostly inland floodingHigh

Moromostly inland floodingModerate

Fostermostly inland floodingModerate

Bethaltomostly inland floodingModerate

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. Bethalto covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bethalto’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Bethalto. 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 Bethalto total about $3.6M 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.