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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rolla · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Rolla than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rolla gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then ice storms (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 56%Ice storms 13%Winter storms 9%

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

among the lowestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in North Dakota · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Rolette County
By hazard

What Rolla 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

56%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Ice storms

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Winter storms

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 20 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 52% of Rolla’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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); winter storms is FEMA’s “Winter Weather” (snow, sleet and freezing rain). 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 Rolla’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rolla, and Rolla’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 13%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Rolla sits
Rolla
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Ice storms13%Winter storms9%Everything else22%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $774K a year in losses across Rolla: $311K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Rolla’s 1,223 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 Rolla flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rolla. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rolette County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rolla

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

  1. 2017Flooding$39K to the City of Rolla for repairs
  2. 2011Flooding$4K to the City of Rolla for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding34 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$15K to the City of Rolla for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation$5K to the City of Rolla for repairs
  5. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation$4K to the City of Rolla for repairs
  6. 1999Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, and Tor$54K to the City of Rolla for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RollaRolette County only

Rolette County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Rolla after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rolla archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Rolla 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 ↗
Winter storms
  • Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
  • Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
  • Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
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 Rolla

Is Rolla at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rolla has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and ice storms (13%). 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.

Is Rolla 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 Rolette County, 4% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rolla?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rolla, Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, and Tor (1999): $54K to the City of Rolla for repairs.

Is Rolla at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Rolla’s rate for it is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rolla.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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