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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Strafford · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Strafford than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Strafford gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #20 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then ice storms (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 60%Ice storms 12%Earthquakes 11%

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

less than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#20 of 247 in Missouri
Hazard risk
B+#20 of 247
in Missouri · lower than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
60% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2018 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 23 declared for Greene County

What stands out about Strafford’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 73% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Strafford 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

60%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Ice storms

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Winter storms top 2% Wildfire Lightning Hurricanes 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 18% of Strafford’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 Strafford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Strafford, and Strafford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 12%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Strafford sits
Strafford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #20 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding60%Ice storms12%Earthquakes11%Everything else17%

The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, Strafford has less expected damage per building than 92% of Missouri towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $799K a year in losses across Strafford: $491K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Strafford’s 2,561 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 Strafford flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Strafford, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
1
paid claims since 2018
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Greene County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Strafford

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

  1. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding1 households applied for aid$275 aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  3. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado3 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  5. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  6. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2007Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$50K to the City of Strafford for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Winter Storms$3K to the City of Strafford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in StraffordGreene County only

Greene County has had 23 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 Strafford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Strafford archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Strafford 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 ↗
Ice storms
  • 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.
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 Strafford

Is Strafford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Strafford has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #20 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and ice storms (12%). 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 Strafford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Strafford since 2018, $4K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Strafford 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 Greene County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Strafford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Strafford, Severe Winter Storms and Flooding (2007): $50K to the City of Strafford for repairs.

Is Strafford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Strafford’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Strafford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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