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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in El Dorado Springs · FEMA

El Dorado Springs’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Dorado Springs gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #51 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then tornadoes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 56%Tornadoes 12%Strong wind 11%

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

less than 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#51 of 247 in Missouri
Hazard risk
B#51 of 247
in Missouri · lower than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 17 declared for Cedar County
By hazard

What El Dorado Springs 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

56%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Ice storms

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms top 3% Wildfire Hurricanes Lightning 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 tornadoes at 28% of El Dorado Springs’ expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (12.2%), 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 El Dorado Springs’ grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in El Dorado Springs, and El Dorado Springs’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where El Dorado Springs sits
El Dorado Springs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #51 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Tornadoes12%Strong wind11%Everything else21%

The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, El Dorado Springs has less expected damage per building than 80% of Missouri towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across El Dorado Springs: $835K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of El Dorado Springs’ 3,493 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 El Dorado Springs flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in El Dorado Springs. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cedar County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to El Dorado Springs

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

  1. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the City of El Dorado Springs for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$33K to the City of El Dorado Springs for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$92K to the City of El Dorado Springs for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Winter Storms$18K to the City of El Dorado Springs for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding39 households applied for aid$69K aid approved
  6. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$262 aid approved
  2. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$17K to the City of El Dorado Springs for repairs
  3. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$16K to the City of El Dorado Springs for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in El Dorado SpringsCedar County only

Cedar County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the El Dorado Springs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what El Dorado Springs faces

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

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 ↗
Ice storms
  • 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.
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 El Dorado Springs

Is El Dorado Springs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Dorado Springs has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #51 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 El Dorado Springs 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 Cedar County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in El Dorado Springs?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for El Dorado Springs’ 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 El Dorado Springs?

By FEMA money that reached El Dorado Springs, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): $92K to the City of El Dorado Springs for repairs.

Is El Dorado Springs at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and El Dorado Springs’ rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in El Dorado Springs.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where El Dorado Springs’ 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.