FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Cotton Hill Township than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cotton Hill Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #237 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (68%), then river and rain flooding (15%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1998.
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 Cotton Hill Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Ice storms
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 Cotton Hill Township’s grade
Earthquakes are 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cotton Hill Township, and Cotton Hill Township’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 8%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D #237 of 247 in Missouri; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cotton Hill Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cotton Hill Township has more expected damage per building than 96% of Missouri towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Cotton Hill Township: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cotton Hill Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cotton Hill Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $29K
Cotton Hill 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: Dunklin County.The storms Cotton Hill Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Dunklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cotton Hill Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20141 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Dunklin County has had 16 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 Cotton Hill Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cotton Hill Township archive →Cotton Hill Township and its neighbors
Cotton Hill Township is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | Dmore damage than 87% | earthquakes | 7 |
| Freeborn Township | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | — |
| Liberty Township | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Cotton Hill Township | Dmore damage than 91% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Malden | Dmore damage than 91% | earthquakes | 2 |
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 Hill 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 Hill Township
Is Cotton Hill Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cotton Hill Township has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #237 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (68%) and river and rain flooding (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cotton Hill Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Cotton Hill Township since 1998, $45K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is Cotton Hill 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 Dunklin County, 1.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Cotton Hill Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cotton Hill 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 Hill Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $29K.
Is Cotton Hill Township at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Cotton Hill Township’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cotton Hill Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cotton Hill 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.