Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Cotton Township
Cotton Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cotton Township has 356 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Cotton Township 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
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 Cotton Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cotton Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cotton Township 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. Louis County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cotton Township
Disasters that paid out in Cotton Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Cotton Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to Cotton Township for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to Cotton Township for repairs
- 1999Severe Storms, Winds, and Flooding$5K to Cotton Township for repairs
St. Louis County has had 13 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in St. Louis County, 2025–2025.
Old photos of Cotton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cotton Township archive →Cotton Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Township | — | 120 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ellsburg Township | — | 254 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Northland Township | — | 190 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 Cotton Township 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.
- 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 Cotton Township
Is Cotton Township 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. Louis County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Cotton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cotton Township’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 Cotton Township?
By FEMA money that reached Cotton Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $25K to Cotton Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cotton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cotton Township’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.