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St. Clair County, MO

1 FEMA disaster declarations (2023–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.

1
FEMA declarations
1
Major disasters
26
NRI risk · Very Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places St. Clair County in the top 74% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does St. Clair County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Missouri county average and the national county average.

St. Clair County
1
Missouri county avg
2
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is St. Clair County?

St. Clair County, Missouri has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2023, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 50% below the Missouri county average of 2.0 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 25.6/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $6.1M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very High and community resilience scores Relatively Low — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Drought (Relatively Moderate).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place St. Clair County at a very low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How St. Clair County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Very Low

vs. Missouri Avg

-50%

State avg: 2.0

vs. National Avg

-73%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

-

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — St. Clair County

St. Clair County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 8, Tornado 25, Wildfire 8, Drought 48, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 21 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 21 composite
St. Clair County NRI risk profile FIPS 29185 · composite 21/100 (Low)

The radar plots St. Clair County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.

FEMA Records

1

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

29185

MO state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 1 FEMA disaster declarations in St. Clair County by incident type.

Severe Storm 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Major Disaster — 1 100.0%

of all 1 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for St. Clair County.

Year Declarations
2023 1

Disaster Declarations

All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for St. Clair County, Missouri.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4741 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2023-09-21

Storm Events in Missouri

NOAA severe weather data for Missouri (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 7,277 32 61 $78.8M
Hail 4,904 0 1 $87.3M
Flash Flood 2,644 49 14 $414.1M
Flood 1,929 26 7 $304.8M
Drought 1,158 0 350 $90.8M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for St. Clair County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 25.6/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$6.1M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very High

Community Resilience

Relatively Low

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in St. Clair County.

Drought Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Hurricane Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in Missouri

Other Missouri counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has St. Clair County, Missouri had?
St. Clair County, Missouri has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2023. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in St. Clair County?
The most common disaster type in St. Clair County is Severe Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does St. Clair County's disaster risk compare to the Missouri average?
St. Clair County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 50% lower than the Missouri county average of 2.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has St. Clair County received?
St. Clair County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Missouri?
The most common storm types in Missouri include Thunderstorm Wind (7,277 events), Hail (4,904 events), Flash Flood (2,644 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for St. Clair County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, St. Clair County has a very low disaster risk level with 1 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for St. Clair County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, St. Clair County, Missouri has an overall risk score of 25.6 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Relatively Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $6.1M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to St. Clair County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in St. Clair County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Ice Storm (Relatively Moderate) and Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.

Data Sources & Methodology

Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.

Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.

This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.

What this means for St. Clair County

St. Clair County, MO has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a very low historical disaster load, 50% below the Missouri county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Missouri overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

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