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Vandalia MissouriPhoto: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Vandalia · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Vandalia as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vandalia gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #86 of 247 in Missouri. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then earthquakes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 72%Earthquakes 15%Tornadoes 6%

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 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#86 of 247 in Missouri
Hazard risk
B−#86 of 247
in Missouri · lower than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1980 · $568K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 14 declared for Audrain County
By hazard

What Vandalia 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

72%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

15%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Wildfire 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 16% of Vandalia’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 Vandalia’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vandalia, and Vandalia’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 15% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Vandalia sits
Vandalia
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #86 of 247 in Missouri; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Earthquakes15%Tornadoes6%Everything else7%

The typical Missouri town has higher expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, Vandalia has less expected damage per building than 65% of Missouri towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Vandalia: $779K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Vandalia’s 3,553 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 Vandalia flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vandalia, from FEMA’s records: 8.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 2 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 2 claims2026: 0 claims198019812025
19802026
11
paid claims since 1980
$568K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$52K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Audrain County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Vandalia

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

  1. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$6K to the City of Vandalia for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$33K to the City of Vandalia for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the City of Vandalia for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$61K to the City of Vandalia for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2007Severe Winter Storms$124K to the City of Vandalia for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in VandaliaAudrain County only

Audrain County has had 14 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 Vandalia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Vandalia archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Vandalia 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 Vandalia

Is Vandalia at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vandalia has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #86 of 247 in Missouri. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and earthquakes (15%). 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 Vandalia flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Vandalia since 1980, $568K in all, or 8.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Vandalia 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 Audrain County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Vandalia?

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

By FEMA money that reached Vandalia, Severe Winter Storms (2007): $124K to the City of Vandalia for repairs.

Is Vandalia at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Vandalia’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vandalia.

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