Todd M. Sr. George House · Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Lee's Summit’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lee's Summit gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #46 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 70 claims here since 1982.
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 stands out about Lee's Summit’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lee's Summit 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Lee's Summit’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lee's Summit, and Lee's Summit’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B #46 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lee's Summit’s residents live in 31 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, Lee's Summit has less expected damage per building than 82% of Missouri towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Lee's Summit has lower expected damage per building than 73% (#107 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $37.9M, is the 308th largest of those 400.
Does Lee's Summit flood? Sometimes: 70 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lee's Summit, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lee's Summit is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Jackson County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lee's Summit
Disasters that paid out in Lee's Summit itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lee's Summit), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding13 households applied for aid$21K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$12K to the City of Lee's Summit for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding29 households applied for aid$51K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$9K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
- 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$1.4M to the City of Lee's Summit for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Its 2 counties have had 26 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 Lee's Summit after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lee's Summit archive →Lee's Summit and its neighbors
Lee's Summit is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 1,187 |
| Lee's Summit | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Independence | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 303 |
| Lake Lotawana | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lake Winnebago | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Greenwood | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Unity Village | — | 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 Lee's Summit 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.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- Lee's Summit residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lee's Summit
Is Lee's Summit at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lee's Summit has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #46 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lee's Summit flood?
Flood insurance has paid 70 claims in Lee's Summit since 1982, $1.1M in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Lee's Summit 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 Jackson County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lee's Summit?
Lee's Summit is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Lee's Summit?
By FEMA money that reached Lee's Summit, Severe Winter Ice Storm (2002): $1.4M to the City of Lee's Summit for repairs.
Is Lee's Summit at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Lee's Summit’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lee's Summit.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lee's Summit’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.