Natural hazards · Bellwood

Bellwood, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bellwood comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bellwood?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bellwood to be higher than in 11% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding54%Earthquakes13%Hurricanes11%Tornadoes8%Heat waves6%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Bellwood faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 13% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

13% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Bellwood flood?

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

13paid claims since 1978

$773Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Floyd: 1 claim, $4K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Chesterfield County.

Disasters that hit Bellwood

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BellwoodDeclared for Chesterfield County only

Chesterfield County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Bellwood

Bellwood and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Meadowbrookmostly inland floodingLow

Chestermostly inland floodingVery low

Bensleymostly inland floodingVery low

Bellwoodmostly 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. Bellwood covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bellwood’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Bellwood. 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 Bellwood total about $1.2M 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.