Natural hazards · Ava

Ava, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ava comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ava?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ava to be higher than in 49% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding29%Tornadoes15%Heat waves13%Earthquakes13%Strong wind11%Cold waves9%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Ava faces

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

Inland flooding

29% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 28% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 37 years in the area

Heat waves

13% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Strong wind

11% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 41% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Ava flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ava.

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Douglas County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

1storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Ava

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Ava itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Ava.

Brought FEMA money into AvaDeclared for Douglas County only

2017

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding

31 households applied for aid $48K aid approved

2011

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$2K to the City of Ava for repairs

2009

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

19 households applied for aid $38K aid approved $3K to the City of Ava for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado

$14K to the City of Ava for repairs

2008

Severe Winter Storms and Flooding

$74K to the City of Ava for repairs

2002

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

$28K to the City of Ava for repairs

Douglas County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

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. Ava covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ava’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Ava. 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 Ava total about $2.2M 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.