Natural hazards · Bern

Bern, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bern comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bern?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bern to be higher than in 73% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding80%Heat waves6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Bern faces

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

Inland flooding

80% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Bern flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bern.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Athens County.

Disasters that hit Bern

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BernDeclared for Athens County only

Athens County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Bern

Bern and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bernmostly inland floodingHigh

Amesmostly inland floodingHigh

Romemostly inland floodingHigh

Marionmostly inland floodingHigh

Wesleymostly inland floodingVery low

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. Bern is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.