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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in St. George · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in St. George than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. George gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then earthquakes (23%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 62%Earthquakes 23%Hail 9%

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 70%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 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 30 declared for St. Louis County
By hazard

What St. George 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

62%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Strong wind Wildfire 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 44% of St. George’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 St. George’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. George, and St. George’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 9%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where St. George sits
St. George
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Earthquakes23%Hail9%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $884K a year in losses across St. George: $297K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of St. George’s 1,553 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 St. George flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: St. Louis County.
Disasters

The storms St. George remembers

None of the 30 disasters declared for St. Louis County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. George itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. GeorgeSt. Louis County only

St. Louis County has had 30 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.

Next door

St. George and its neighbors

St. George is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Affton: hazard risk CLemay: hazard risk C−AfftonLemaySt. George
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AfftonCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding32
St. GeorgeCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding0
LemayC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding135

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 St. George 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 St. George

Is St. George at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. George has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and earthquakes (23%). 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.

Is St. George 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 St. Louis County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. George?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. George’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is St. George at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and St. George’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. George.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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