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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Advance · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Advance faces more hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Advance gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (50%), then river and rain flooding (21%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2008.

Earthquakes 50%River and rain flooding 21%Tornadoes 16%

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

more than 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Missouri · higher than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 2008 · $44K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 20 declared for Stoddard County
By hazard

What Advance faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

50%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

21%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms top 2% Hurricanes Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Advance’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Advance’s grade

Earthquakes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Advance, and Advance’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Advance sits
Advance
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Advance’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes50%River and rain flooding21%Tornadoes16%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Advance: $485K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Advance’s 1,349 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Bell City city (464 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Advance flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Advance, from FEMA’s records: 7.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 3 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 3 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20082011
20082026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms3 claims · $37K
  • The March storm3 claims · $7K
6
paid claims since 2008
$44K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Advance isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Stoddard County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Advance

Disasters that paid out in Advance itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Advance), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding8 households applied for aid$99K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding6 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding53 households applied for aid$126K aid approved$28K to the City of Advance for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storm$9K to the City of Advance for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado$4K to the City of Advance for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding90 households applied for aid$276K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2008Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$7K to the City of Advance for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AdvanceStoddard County only

Stoddard County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Advance after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Advance archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Advance faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Advance

Is Advance at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Advance has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (50%) and river and rain flooding (21%). 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.

Does Advance flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Advance since 2008, $44K in all, or 7.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (3).

Is Advance 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 Stoddard County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Advance?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Advance’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 Advance?

By FEMA money that reached Advance, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 90 households applied for aid, $276K approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 3 paid, $37K.

Is Advance at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Advance’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Advance.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Advance’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.