Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to St. Mary

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Old Mississippi riverbed at St. MaryPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in St. Mary · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in St. Mary

St. Mary isn’t graded for hazard risk: St. Mary has 285 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 101 claims here since 1979.

Flood claims
101
paid since 1979 · $963K
Flooded more than once
2
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
5
of 27 declared for Ste. Genevieve County
By hazard

What St. Mary 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
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Earthquakes

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

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind top 3% Hail Winter storms top 1% Hurricanes Ice storms Landslides top 2% Wildfire Lightning Cold waves Heat waves
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 20% of St. Mary’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does St. Mary flood? Yes: 101 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Mary, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 29 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 25 claims1983: 17 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 4 claims1986: 8 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 10 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 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: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 3 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 3 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919821983
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding10 claims · $165K
  • The Early winter storms4 claims · $415K
101
paid claims since 1979
$963K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Ste. Genevieve County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
36flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Mary

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$206K to the City of St. Mary for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$3K to the City of St. Mary for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$19K to the City of St. Mary for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$44K aid approved$22K to the City of St. Mary for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding39 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. MarySte. Genevieve County only

Ste. Genevieve County has had 27 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 St. Mary after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Mary archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what St. Mary 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 ↗
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 St. Mary

Does St. Mary flood?

Flood insurance has paid 101 claims in St. Mary since 1979, $963K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (10).

Is St. Mary 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 Ste. Genevieve County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. Mary?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Mary’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 St. Mary?

By FEMA money that reached St. Mary, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2025): $206K to the City of St. Mary for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 10 paid, $165K.

Storm stories

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

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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