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Elsberry, MissouriPhoto: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Elsberry · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Elsberry faces more hazard damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elsberry gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 54 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 81%Tornadoes 6%Earthquakes 6%

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 77%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 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
54
paid since 1979 · $596K
Flooded more than once
6
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 24 declared for Lincoln County

What stands out about Elsberry’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way104 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 199312 flood claims were paid for 1993 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Elsberry 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

81%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes 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 heat waves at 14% of Elsberry’s expected losses. Heat 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 Elsberry’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elsberry, and Elsberry’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Elsberry sits
Elsberry
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Tornadoes6%Earthquakes6%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Elsberry: $682K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Elsberry’s 1,937 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 Elsberry flood? Sometimes: 54 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elsberry, from FEMA’s records: 74.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 6 claims1983: 3 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 2 claims1986: 6 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 12 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 5 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 7 claims2026: 0 claims198219932025
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding6 claims · $129K
54
paid claims since 1979
$596K
paid to owners
6
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lincoln County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
104flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elsberry

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding23 households applied for aid$59K aid approved$19K to the City of Elsberry for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$67K to the City of Elsberry for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding82 households applied for aid$291K aid approved$23K to the City of Elsberry for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2007Severe Winter Storms$2K to the City of Elsberry for repairs
  6. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$19K to the City of Elsberry for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ElsberryLincoln County only

Lincoln County has had 24 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 Elsberry after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Elsberry archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Elsberry 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Elsberry

Is Elsberry at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elsberry has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Elsberry flood?

Flood insurance has paid 54 claims in Elsberry since 1979, $596K in all, or 74.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (6).

Is Elsberry 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 Lincoln County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Elsberry?

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

By FEMA money that reached Elsberry, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 82 households applied for aid, $291K approved, and $23K to the City of Elsberry for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 6 paid, $129K.

Is Elsberry at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Elsberry’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elsberry.

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