Natural hazards · Big Lake

Big Lake, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Big Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1,015 claims here since 1984. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Big Lake?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Big Lake to be higher than in 66% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding45%Tornadoes18%Drought11%Heat waves9%Cold waves7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Big Lake 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

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

18% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 18 years in the area

Drought

11% of expected damage

Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Heat waves

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Big Lake flood?

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

1,015paid claims since 1984

$35.3Mpaid to owners

204homes flooded more than once

19842026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 210 claims, $7.7M
Midwest Flooding: 126 claims, $3.0M

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 4 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (93) ■ flooded 2+ times

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Holt County.

Disasters that hit Big Lake

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Big Lake itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Village of Big Lake.

Brought FEMA money into Big LakeDeclared for Holt County only

2019

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid

2019

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$106K to the Village of Big Lake for repairs

2011

Flooding

12 households applied for aid $30K aid approved $99K to the Village of Big Lake for repairs

2010

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

$57K to the Village of Big Lake for repairs

2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $49K to the Village of Big Lake for repairs

Holt 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. Big Lake is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.