Natural hazards · Murphy

Murphy, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Murphy comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Murphy?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Murphy to be higher than in 75% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding46%Earthquakes16%Tornadoes14%Strong wind8%Cold waves7%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Murphy faces

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

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage

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

Tornadoes

14% 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 Murphy flood?

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

13paid claims since 1979

$62Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 1 claim, $21K
March storm: 1 claim, $8K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Murphy 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.

Disasters that hit Murphy

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Murphy itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into MurphyDeclared for Jefferson County only

Jefferson County has had 24 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. Murphy covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Murphy’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Murphy. 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 Murphy total about $2.3M 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.