Natural hazards · Wellston

Wellston, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wellston comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1979. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wellston?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wellston to be higher than in 34% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and heat waves.

Earthquakes34%Heat waves27%Inland flooding18%Hail8%Tornadoes6%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Wellston faces

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

Earthquakes

34% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Heat waves

27% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

18% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 6% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Wellston flood?

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

30paid claims since 1979

$2.7Mpaid to owners

5homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Late July Flooding: 9 claims, $1.2M
Hurricane Ike: 5 claims, $671K
Not a named storm: 2 claims, $190K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Wellston 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 Wellston

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WellstonDeclared for St. Louis County only

2022

Severe Storms and Flooding

5 households applied for aid $10K aid approved

2008

Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado

1 household applied for aid

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

Around Wellston

Wellston and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

University Citymostly heat wavesHigh

Hillsdalemostly heat wavesModerate

Pagedalemostly earthquakesModerate

Normandymostly earthquakesModerate

Wellstonmostly earthquakesLow

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. Wellston covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wellston’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Wellston. 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 Wellston total about $1.3M 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.