Longyear, E. J., First Diamond Drill Site · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Hoyt Lakes faces less hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hoyt Lakes gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Hoyt Lakes 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.
What’s behind Hoyt Lakes’ grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hoyt Lakes, and Hoyt Lakes’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hoyt Lakes’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Hoyt Lakes: $395K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hoyt Lakes flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hoyt Lakes. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hoyt Lakes 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hoyt Lakes
Disasters that paid out in Hoyt Lakes itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Hoyt Lakes), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$67K to the City of Hoyt Lakes for repairs
- 1999Severe Storms, Winds, and Flooding$15K to the City of Hoyt Lakes 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 Hoyt Lakes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hoyt Lakes archive →Hoyt Lakes and its neighbors
Hoyt Lakes has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoyt Lakes | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| White Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Babbitt | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Waasa Township | — | 250 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bassett Township | — | 57 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 Hoyt Lakes 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 Hoyt Lakes
Is Hoyt Lakes at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hoyt Lakes has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Hoyt Lakes 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 Hoyt Lakes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hoyt Lakes’ 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 Hoyt Lakes?
By FEMA money that reached Hoyt Lakes, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 6 households applied for aid, $24K approved, and $67K to the City of Hoyt Lakes for repairs.
Is Hoyt Lakes at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Hoyt Lakes’ rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hoyt Lakes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hoyt Lakes’ 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.