FEMA puts Mitchell’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mitchell gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (30%). 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 Mitchell 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
Hail
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 Mitchell’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mitchell, and Mitchell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 30% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).
C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mitchell’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Mitchell: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mitchell flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mitchell. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Mitchell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madison County.The storms Mitchell remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Madison County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mitchell itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Madison County has had 13 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.
Mitchell and its neighbors
Mitchell is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwardsville | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Mitchell | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Pontoon Beach | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
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 Mitchell 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Mitchell
Is Mitchell at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mitchell has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (30%). 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 Mitchell 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 Madison County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Mitchell?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mitchell’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mitchell at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Mitchell’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mitchell.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mitchell’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.