Bristol is calmer than 97% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bristol comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1982. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Bristol’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Bristol?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 3% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Calmer than 1,970 of the 1,977 Indiana towns we cover.
Bristol covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Bristol faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Hail
Strong wind
Does Bristol flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bristol, from FEMA’s records.
Bristol isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Elkhart County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bristol
Disasters that paid out in Bristol itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bristol) and its biggest flood years.
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding25 households applied for aid$74K aid approved
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding19 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
- 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Elkhart County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.
Old photos of Bristol after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bristol archive →Get ready for what Bristol actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in December–February
The month each of Elkhart County’s 11 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Bristol’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Bristol.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Bristol, expected losses total about $1.1M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bristol.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.