Natural hazards · Center

Center, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Center comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Center?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Center to be higher than in 80% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding65%Heat waves16%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Center faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Center flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Ralls County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

2storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Center

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into CenterDeclared for Ralls County only

2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

14 households applied for aid $47K aid approved

2002

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

$11K to the City of Center for repairs

Ralls 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. Center 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 Center’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Center. 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.