Natural hazards · Bellevue

Bellevue, NE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bellevue comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 96 claims here since 1978. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bellevue?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bellevue to be higher than in 45% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and inland flooding.

Tornadoes38%Inland flooding27%Cold waves9%Hail8%Strong wind7%Heat waves6%Everything else4%

By hazard

What Bellevue faces

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

Tornadoes

38% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Bellevue flood?

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

96paid claims since 1978

$2.8Mpaid to owners

14homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 16 claims, $317K
March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 14 claims, $1.6M
Late spring storms: 4 claims, $269K

Homes that flooded again and again

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Sarpy County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

169flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Bellevue

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BellevueDeclared for Sarpy County only

2019

Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

772 households applied for aid $10.4M aid approved $3.8M to the City of Bellevue for repairs

2017

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds

$248K to the City of Bellevue for repairs

2011

Flooding

48 households applied for aid $319K aid approved $1.5M to the City of Bellevue for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$84K to the City of Bellevue for repairs

2009

Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm

$110K to the City of Bellevue for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$70K to the City of Bellevue for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

21 households applied for aid $18K aid approved $308K to the City of Bellevue for repairs

2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $3K aid approved

Sarpy County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Bellevue

Bellevue and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Council Bluffsmostly inland floodingHigh

La Plattemostly inland floodingHigh

Omahamostly inland floodingModerate

Bellevuemostly tornadoesModerate

Offutt AFBmostly tornadoesLow

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. Bellevue covers 14 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bellevue’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Bellevue. 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 Bellevue total about $20.7M 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.