Natural hazards · Salem

Salem, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Salem comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Salem?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Salem to be higher than in 81% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes.

Earthquakes52%Inland flooding13%Drought10%Heat waves7%Tornadoes7%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Salem faces

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

Earthquakes

52% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

13% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 22% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Drought

10% of expected damage

Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 18 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 20 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Salem flood?

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

1paid claims since 1979

$997paid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Dunklin County.

Disasters that hit Salem

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SalemDeclared for Dunklin County only

Dunklin County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Salem

Salem and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Independencemostly earthquakesVery high

Claymostly earthquakesVery high

Buffalomostly earthquakesVery high

Arbyrdmostly earthquakesVery high

Salemmostly earthquakesVery high

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. Salem covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Salem’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Salem. 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 Salem total about $2.2M 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.