Photo: Allen Gathman from Pocahontas, MO, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in East Cape Girardeau
East Cape Girardeau isn’t graded for hazard risk: East Cape Girardeau has 283 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 80 claims here since 1979.
What East Cape Girardeau faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does East Cape Girardeau flood? Sometimes: 80 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in East Cape Girardeau, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding18 claims · $11K
- The Mid-spring storms12 claims · $206K
- The March storm2 claims · $3K
East Cape Girardeau isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Alexander County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to East Cape Girardeau
Disasters that paid out in East Cape Girardeau itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of East Cape Girardeau), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$522K to the Village of East Cape Girardeau for repairs21 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$87K to the Village of East Cape Girardeau for repairs16 flood claims paid that year
- 2009Severe Winter Storm$2K to the Village of East Cape Girardeau for repairs
Alexander County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of East Cape Girardeau after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the East Cape Girardeau archive →Get ready for what East Cape Girardeau faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in East Cape Girardeau
Does East Cape Girardeau flood?
Flood insurance has paid 80 claims in East Cape Girardeau since 1979, $673K in all. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (18).
Is East Cape Girardeau in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Alexander County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in East Cape Girardeau?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for East Cape Girardeau’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in East Cape Girardeau?
By FEMA money that reached East Cape Girardeau, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): $522K to the Village of East Cape Girardeau for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 18 paid, $11K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East Cape Girardeau.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where East Cape Girardeau’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.