More hazard damage per building is expected in Salem Township than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salem Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (58%), then river and rain flooding (23%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1979.
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 Salem Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Ice storms
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 Salem Township’s grade
Earthquakes are 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Salem Township, and Salem Township’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 9%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Salem Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Salem Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Salem Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Salem Township, 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.
Salem Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dunklin County.The storms Salem Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Dunklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Salem Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidThe year of Tornadoes, Torrential Rain and Flooding, declared for Dunklin County
Dunklin County has had 16 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 Salem Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Salem Township archive →Salem Township and its neighbors
Salem Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Buffalo Township | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Independence Township | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | 11 |
| Clay Township | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | 4 |
| Arbyrd | — | 432 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 Salem Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Salem Township
Is Salem Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salem Township has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (58%) and river and rain flooding (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Salem Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Salem Township since 1979, $997 in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Salem Township 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 Dunklin County, 1.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Salem Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Salem Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Salem Township at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Salem Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Salem Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Salem Township’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.