Marissa Academy · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Marissa’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marissa gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then earthquakes (27%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Marissa 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
Tornadoes
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.
What’s behind Marissa’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marissa, and Marissa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 27% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Marissa’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Marissa: $893K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Marissa flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Marissa. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Marissa isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: St. Clair County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Marissa
Disasters that paid out in Marissa itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Marissa), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Storm and Flooding4 households applied for aid$300 aid approved
St. Clair County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Marissa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Marissa archive →Marissa and its neighbors
Marissa is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marissa Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Marissa | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Lenzburg Township | — | 943 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Marissa 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Marissa
Is Marissa at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marissa has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and earthquakes (27%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Marissa 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 St. Clair County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Marissa?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Marissa’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 Marissa?
By FEMA money that reached Marissa, Severe Storm and Flooding (2022): 4 households applied for aid, $300 approved.
Is Marissa at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Marissa’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marissa.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marissa’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.