Natural hazards · Bay

Bay, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bay comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 33 claims here since 1982.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bay?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bay to be higher than in 75% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding76%Tornadoes10%Strong wind5%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Bay faces

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

Inland flooding

76% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Bay flood?

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

33paid claims since 1982

$229Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19822026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Ottawa County.

Disasters that hit Bay

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BayDeclared for Ottawa County only

Ottawa County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Bay

Bay and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Salemmostly inland floodingVery high

Baymostly inland floodingHigh

Eriemostly inland floodingModerate

Port Clintonmostly inland floodingLow

Portagemostly inland floodingLow

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. Bay covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bay’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Bay. 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 Bay total about $2.7M 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.