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Clinton County Missouri Courthouse 20191027-7055Photo: Kbh3rd · CC BY 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Plattsburg · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Plattsburg faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plattsburg gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.

River and rain flooding 74%Tornadoes 15%Hail 7%

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 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Missouri · higher than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2014 · $2K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 17 declared for Clinton County
By hazard

What Plattsburg 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

74%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Heat waves top 1% Lightning Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Plattsburg’s expected losses. Cold 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 Plattsburg’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Plattsburg, and Plattsburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Plattsburg sits
Plattsburg
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes15%Hail7%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Plattsburg: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Plattsburg’s 2,222 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 Plattsburg flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2014

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Plattsburg, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2014
20142026
1
paid claims since 2014
$2K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Clinton County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Plattsburg

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

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$23K to the City of Plattsburg for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Winter Storms$19K to the City of Plattsburg for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  5. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$2K to the City of Plattsburg for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PlattsburgClinton County only

Clinton County has had 17 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 Plattsburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Plattsburg archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Plattsburg 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 ↗
Hail
  • 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.
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 Plattsburg

Is Plattsburg at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plattsburg has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (15%). 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 Plattsburg flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Plattsburg since 2014, $2K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Plattsburg 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 Clinton County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Plattsburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Plattsburg, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): $23K to the City of Plattsburg for repairs.

Is Plattsburg at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Plattsburg’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Plattsburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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