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Natural hazards · Imperial

Imperial, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Imperial comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 61 claims here since 1979. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Imperial?

67
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Imperial to be higher than in 67% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding41%Earthquakes22%Tornadoes13%Strong wind8%Cold waves7%Everything else9%
By hazard

What Imperial faces

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

Inland flooding

41% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

22% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Strong wind

8% 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
Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightning

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 Imperial flood?

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

61paid claims since 1979
$2.5Mpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Early winter storms: 8 claims, $472K
  • Midwest Flooding: 8 claims, $359K
  • Not a named storm: 4 claims, $57K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Imperial isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

16flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit Imperial

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ImperialDeclared for Jefferson County only
2025

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

200 households applied for aid $162K aid approved
2019

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

2 households applied for aid
2017

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding

10 households applied for aid $12K aid approved
2015

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

10 households applied for aid $1K aid approved
2009

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $16K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado

2 households applied for aid $5K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2006

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

2 households applied for aid
2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $26K aid approved
Jefferson County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Imperial

Imperial and the towns around it

Barnhart: High, mostly inland floodingArnold: High, mostly inland floodingPevely: High, mostly inland floodingImperial: High, mostly inland flooding ImperialBarnhartArnold
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Barnhartmostly inland floodingHigh
Arnoldmostly inland floodingHigh
Imperialmostly inland floodingHigh
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. Imperial covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Imperial’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Imperial. 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 Imperial total about $2.4M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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