Photo: Markkaempfer · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Grand Tower
Grand Tower isn’t graded for hazard risk: Grand Tower has 502 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.
What Grand Tower 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
Strong wind
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 Grand Tower flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grand Tower, from FEMA’s records.
Grand Tower isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jackson County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Grand Tower
Disasters that paid out in Grand Tower itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Grand Tower), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$837K to the City of Grand Tower for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding26 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$170K to the City of Grand Tower for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$13K to the City of Grand Tower for repairs
Jackson County has had 12 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 Grand Tower after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grand Tower archive →Get ready for what Grand Tower 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Grand Tower
Does Grand Tower flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Grand Tower since 1979, $92K in all.
Is Grand Tower 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 Jackson County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Grand Tower?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grand Tower’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 Grand Tower?
By FEMA money that reached Grand Tower, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): $837K to the City of Grand Tower for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grand Tower.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grand Tower’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.