Natural hazards · Lemay

Lemay, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lemay comes from heat waves, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 135 claims here since 1978. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lemay?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lemay to be higher than in 77% of U.S. communities, mostly from heat waves and inland flooding.

Heat waves37%Inland flooding32%Earthquakes16%Cold waves6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Lemay faces

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

Heat waves

37% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

32% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Lemay flood?

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

135paid claims since 1978

$3.5Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 55 claims, $1.7M
Not a named storm: 4 claims, $6K
Hurricane Ike: 2 claims, $11K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: St. Louis County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

110flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Lemay

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LemayDeclared for St. Louis County only

2022

Severe Storms and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $900 aid approved

2015

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

1 household applied for aid $13K aid approved

St. Louis County has had 29 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Lemay

Lemay and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Sugar Loafmostly inland floodingVery high

St. Louismostly heat wavesHigh

Lemaymostly heat wavesHigh

Afftonmostly heat wavesHigh

Mehlvillemostly heat wavesHigh

St. Georgemostly heat wavesHigh

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. Lemay covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lemay’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Lemay. 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 Lemay total about $13.6M 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.