Storms, floods and disasters in Van Buren Township
Van Buren Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Van Buren Township has 121 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Van Buren 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 Van Buren Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Van Buren Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Van Buren 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Van Buren Township
Disasters that paid out in Van Buren Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Van Buren Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$42K to Van Buren 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 Van Buren Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Van Buren Township archive →Van Buren 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ness Township | — | 46 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Floodwood Township | — | 196 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Elmer Township | — | 129 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Halden Township | — | 121 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren Township
Is Van Buren 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 Van Buren Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Van Buren 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 Van Buren Township?
By FEMA money that reached Van Buren Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $42K to Van Buren Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Van Buren Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Van Buren 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.