More hazard damage per building is expected in Roxana than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Roxana gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then earthquakes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1978.
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 Roxana 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 Roxana’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Roxana, and Roxana’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 19% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Roxana’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Roxana: $761K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Roxana flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Roxana, from FEMA’s records: 20.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Roxana is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Madison County.The storms Roxana remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Madison County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Roxana itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19795 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Madison County
- 19782 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19822 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Madison County
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.
Old photos of Roxana after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Roxana archive →Roxana and its neighbors
Roxana is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Russell Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| South Roxana | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Wood River Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 101 |
| Roxana | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Hartford | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Wood River | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
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 Roxana 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.
- Roxana residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Roxana
Is Roxana at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Roxana has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and earthquakes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Roxana flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Roxana since 1978, $36K in all, or 20.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Roxana 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 Roxana?
Roxana is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Roxana at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Roxana’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Roxana.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Roxana’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.