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Harris-Chilton-Ruble HouseHarris-Chilton-Ruble House · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in New Franklin · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in New Franklin than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Franklin gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1983.

River and rain flooding 86%Tornadoes 8%Earthquakes 2%

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 78%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 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
17
paid since 1983 · $120K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 24 declared for Howard County
By hazard

What New Franklin 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

86%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Winter storms top 4% Wildfire Strong wind Heat waves top 2% Lightning Hurricanes Cold 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 9% of New Franklin’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 New Franklin’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Franklin, and New Franklin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where New Franklin sits
New Franklin
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Tornadoes8%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $876K a year in losses across New Franklin: $378K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of New Franklin’s 1,027 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Franklin city (70 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 New Franklin flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1983

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Franklin, from FEMA’s records: 32.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 7 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199320132021
19832026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding7 claims · $83K
  • The Late spring storms1 claim · $2K
17
paid claims since 1983
$120K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Howard County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
21flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Franklin

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$54K to the City of New Franklin for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the City of New Franklin for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$2K to the City of New Franklin for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding6 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$4K to the City of New Franklin for repairs
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in New FranklinHoward County only

Howard 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 New Franklin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the New Franklin archive →
Next door

New Franklin and its neighbors

New Franklin has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Franklin: not gradedFranklinNew Franklin
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
New FranklinC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding17
Franklin—66 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what New Franklin 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 ↗
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 New Franklin

Is New Franklin at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Franklin has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (8%). 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 New Franklin flood?

Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in New Franklin since 1983, $120K in all, or 32.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (7).

Is New Franklin 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 Howard County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in New Franklin?

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

By FEMA money that reached New Franklin, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2019): $54K to the City of New Franklin for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 7 paid, $83K.

Is New Franklin at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and New Franklin’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Franklin.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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