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Willow-Springs-Main-St-moPhoto: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Willow Springs · FEMA

Willow Springs’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Willow Springs gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 55%Earthquakes 20%Tornadoes 13%

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 59%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 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 1993 · $69K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 19 declared for Howell County
By hazard

What Willow Springs 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

55%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms top 2% Hail Hurricanes Lightning 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 cold waves at 9% of Willow Springs’ expected losses. Cold 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 Willow Springs’ grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Willow Springs, and Willow Springs’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 13%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Willow Springs sits
Willow Springs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Willow Springs’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Earthquakes20%Tornadoes13%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Willow Springs: $720K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Willow Springs covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Willow Springs flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Willow Springs, from FEMA’s records: 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 2 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: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 7 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19932017
19932026
Biggest named events
  • The Late spring severe storms7 claims · $63K
9
paid claims since 1993
$69K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Howell County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Willow Springs

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  2. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$750 aid approved
  3. 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$173K to the City of Willow Springs for repairs
  4. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding55 households applied for aid$108K aid approved$152K to the City of Willow Springs for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$807 aid approved
  6. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding8 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
Show all 10
  1. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado2 households applied for aid$431 aid approved$41K to the City of Willow Springs for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$10K to the City of Willow Springs for repairs
  4. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$11K to the City of Willow Springs for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Willow SpringsHowell County only

Howell County has had 19 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 Willow Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Willow Springs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Willow Springs 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Willow Springs

Is Willow Springs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Willow Springs has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Willow Springs flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Willow Springs since 1993, $69K in all, or 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late spring severe storms (7).

Is Willow Springs 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 Howell County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Willow Springs?

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

By FEMA money that reached Willow Springs, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2017): 55 households applied for aid, $108K approved, and $152K to the City of Willow Springs for repairs. By flood claims, Late spring severe storms: 7 paid, $63K.

Is Willow Springs at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Willow Springs’ rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Willow Springs.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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