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Natural hazards · Bolivar

Bolivar, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bolivar comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2009. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Bolivar?

57
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bolivar to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding42%Tornadoes18%Heat waves10%Strong wind7%Cold waves7%Everything else17%
By hazard

What Bolivar faces

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

Inland flooding

42% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

18% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Heat waves

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Bolivar flood?

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

4paid claims since 2009
$111Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
20092026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Bolivar isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Polk County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

2storm safe rooms built
Disasters that hit Bolivar

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BolivarDeclared for Polk County only
2015

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

5 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$31K to the City of Bolivar for repairs
2009

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

80 households applied for aid $301K aid approved
2007

Severe Winter Storms and Flooding

$401K to the City of Bolivar for repairs
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid
2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

19 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2002

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

$4K to the City of Bolivar for repairs
Polk County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and ice storms.
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. Bolivar 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 Bolivar’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Bolivar. 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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