Ste. Genevieve’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ste. Genevieve comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 778 claims here since 1979. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Ste. Genevieve’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Ste. Genevieve flood? Yes: 778 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ste. Genevieve, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding167 claims · $2.2M
- The Not a named storm138 claims · $825K
- The Late spring severe storms1 claim · $2K
Ste. Genevieve isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ste. Genevieve County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ste. Genevieve
Disasters that paid out in Ste. Genevieve itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Ste. Genevieve) and its biggest flood years.
- 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$9K to the City of Ste. Genevieve for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding$3K to the City of Ste. Genevieve for repairs
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding1 household applied for aid$33K aid approved$51K to the City of Ste. Genevieve for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$4K to the City of Ste. Genevieve for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$9K to the City of Ste. Genevieve for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$970 to the City of Ste. Genevieve for repairs
Show all 9
- 1993189 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 1982141 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 1979139 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Ste. Genevieve County has had 25 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Ste. Genevieve after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ste. Genevieve archive →How exposed is Ste. Genevieve?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.
Rated higher than 1,108 of the 1,353 Missouri towns we cover.
Ste. Genevieve covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Ste. Genevieve faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Heat waves
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Strong wind
Get ready for what Ste. Genevieve actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Know the nearest cooling center or air-conditioned library.
- Drink water before you feel thirsty.
- Check on neighbors who live alone.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in March–May
The month each of Ste. Genevieve County’s 25 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Ste. Genevieve’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Ste. Genevieve.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Ste. Genevieve, expected losses total about $6.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ste. Genevieve.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.