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St. Clairsville Historic DistrictSt. Clairsville Historic District · Photo: Bwsmith84 · CC BY 3.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in St. Clairsville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, St. Clairsville faces less hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Clairsville gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #20 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 82%Tornadoes 8%Hail 4%

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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#20 of 993 in Ohio
Hazard risk
A+#20 of 993
in Ohio · lower than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Belmont County

What stands out about St. Clairsville’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 98% 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 St. Clairsville 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

82%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Lightning Winter storms 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 lightning at 10% of St. Clairsville’s expected losses. Lightning does little damage to buildings (0.3%), 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 St. Clairsville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Clairsville, and St. Clairsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts).

Where St. Clairsville sits
St. Clairsville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #20 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

St. Clairsville’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Tornadoes8%Hail4%Everything else6%

The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Clairsville has less expected damage per building than 98% of Ohio towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across St. Clairsville: $788K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. St. Clairsville covers 2 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 St. Clairsville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in St. Clairsville. 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

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

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

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Clairsville

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

  1. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$5K to the City of St. Clairsville for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the City of St. Clairsville for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$373 to the City of St. Clairsville for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding159 households applied for aid$685K aid approved$161K to the City of St. Clairsville for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides8 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow$11K to the City of St. Clairsville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. ClairsvilleBelmont County only

Belmont County has had 18 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 St. Clairsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Clairsville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what St. Clairsville 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 ↗
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 St. Clairsville

Is St. Clairsville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Clairsville has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #20 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is St. Clairsville 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 Belmont County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. Clairsville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Clairsville’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. Clairsville?

By FEMA money that reached St. Clairsville, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 159 households applied for aid, $685K approved, and $161K to the City of St. Clairsville for repairs.

Is St. Clairsville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and St. Clairsville’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Clairsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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