Photo: Fowlerphotography · CC BY 4.0For ice storms, St. Robert’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Robert gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #47 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2013.
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 stands out about St. Robert’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. Robert 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
Tornadoes
Ice storms
Earthquakes
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 St. Robert’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Robert, and St. Robert’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 8%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #47 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
St. Robert’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Robert has less expected damage per building than 81% of Missouri towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across St. Robert: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Robert flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Robert, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
St. Robert isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pulaski County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Robert
Disasters that paid out in St. Robert itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of St. Robert), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding11 households applied for aid$70K aid approved$16.5M to the City of St. Robert for repairs
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$32K aid approved$336K to the City of St. Robert for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds and Flooding$18K to the City of St. Robert for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the City of St. Robert for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding14 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2007Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$23K to the City of St. Robert for repairs
Show all 7
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$3K to the City of St. Robert for repairs
Pulaski County has had 20 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 St. Robert after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Robert archive →St. Robert and its neighbors
St. Robert has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Robert | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Fort Leonard Wood | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Waynesville | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 94 |
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 St. Robert faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 St. Robert
Is St. Robert at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Robert has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #47 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does St. Robert flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in St. Robert since 2013, $10K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is St. Robert 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 Pulaski County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in St. Robert?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Robert’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. Robert?
By FEMA money that reached St. Robert, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2017): 11 households applied for aid, $70K approved, and $16.5M to the City of St. Robert for repairs.
Is St. Robert at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and St. Robert’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Robert.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Robert’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.