Natural hazards · Chouteau

Chouteau, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chouteau comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1979.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Chouteau?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chouteau to be higher than in 68% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding45%Earthquakes28%Tornadoes11%Heat waves5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Chouteau faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

45% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

28% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 54 years in the area

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Chouteau flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chouteau, from FEMA’s records.

47paid claims since 1979

$969Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 14 claims, $484K
Early winter storms: 6 claims, $103K

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Chouteau isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Madison County.

Disasters that hit Chouteau

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Madison County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chouteau itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into ChouteauDeclared for Madison County only

Madison County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Chouteau

Chouteau and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Nameokimostly inland floodingVery high

Granite Citymostly inland floodingVery high

Pontoon Beachmostly inland floodingVery high

Venicemostly inland floodingHigh

St. Louismostly heat wavesHigh

West Altonmostly inland floodingHigh

Chouteaumostly inland floodingHigh

Wood Rivermostly inland floodingHigh

Edwardsvillemostly inland floodingModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Chouteau covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chouteau’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Chouteau. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Chouteau total about $9.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.