TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
PierceGood night
Natural hazards · Pierce

Pierce, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Pierce comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1995. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Pierce?

78
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Pierce to be higher than in 78% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding57%Tornadoes17%Strong wind7%Heat waves6%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Pierce faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 30 years in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places
Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Pierce flood?

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

6paid claims since 1995
$249Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
19952026

Biggest named events

  • Early winter storms: 2 claims, $101K

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. Pierce isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lawrence County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

2storm safe rooms built
Disasters that hit Pierce

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into PierceDeclared for Lawrence County only
2015

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

13 households applied for aid $56K aid approved $21K to the City of Pierce for repairs
2011

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

17 households applied for aid $122K aid approved
2009

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $12K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $136K to the City of Pierce for repairs
2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

258 households applied for aid $766K aid approved $4.5M to the City of Pierce for repairs
Lawrence County has had 17 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. Pierce 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 Pierce’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Pierce. 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Pierce, MOView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Pierce is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

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