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Rainey Funeral Home BuildingRainey Funeral Home Building · Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Marshfield · FEMA

For ice storms, Marshfield’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marshfield gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #48 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then tornadoes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 50%Tornadoes 12%Ice storms 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#48 of 247 in Missouri
Hazard risk
B#48 of 247
in Missouri · lower than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
12
of 28 declared for Webster County

What stands out about Marshfield’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants2 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Marshfield 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

50%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

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

Ice storms

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

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms top 2% 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 heat waves at 13% of Marshfield’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 Marshfield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marshfield, and Marshfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Marshfield sits
Marshfield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #48 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Marshfield’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding50%Tornadoes12%Ice storms11%Everything else26%

The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, Marshfield has less expected damage per building than 81% of Missouri towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Marshfield: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Marshfield covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Marshfield flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Marshfield. 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

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

Insurance rates: Webster County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Marshfield

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Wildfires19 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding$7K to the City of Marshfield for repairs
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding13 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$17K to the City of Marshfield for repairs
  5. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds and Flooding$22K to the City of Marshfield for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding10 households applied for aid$33K aid approved$14K to the City of Marshfield for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$8K to the City of Marshfield for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$864 to the City of Marshfield for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$322K to the City of Marshfield for repairs
  6. 2006Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding22 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MarshfieldWebster County only

Webster County has had 28 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 Marshfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Marshfield archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Marshfield 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Marshfield

Is Marshfield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marshfield has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #48 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Marshfield 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 Webster County, 1% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Marshfield?

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

By FEMA money that reached Marshfield, Severe Winter Storms and Flooding (2007): $322K to the City of Marshfield for repairs.

Is Marshfield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Marshfield’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marshfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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