Natural hazards · Spanish Lake

Spanish Lake, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Spanish Lake comes from heat waves, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1979. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Spanish Lake?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Spanish Lake to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from heat waves and inland flooding.

Heat waves45%Inland flooding22%Earthquakes17%Cold waves7%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Spanish Lake faces

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

Heat waves

45% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

22% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

17% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

7% 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 windLightningDrought

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 Spanish Lake flood?

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

17paid claims since 1979

$105Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 2 claims, $22K
Hurricane Ike: 1 claim, $11K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Spanish Lake 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.

Disasters that hit Spanish Lake

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Spanish LakeDeclared for St. Louis County only

2022

Severe Storms and Flooding

5 households applied for aid $14K aid approved

2017

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding

1 household applied for aid

2015

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

3 households applied for aid $535 aid approved

2011

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $795 aid approved

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

Around Spanish Lake

Spanish Lake and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

St. Louismostly heat wavesHigh

Bellefontaine Neighborsmostly heat wavesHigh

Old Jamestownmostly inland floodingHigh

Glasgow Villagemostly heat wavesHigh

Spanish Lakemostly heat wavesModerate

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. Spanish Lake covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Spanish Lake’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Spanish Lake. 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 Spanish Lake total about $9.8M 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.