Natural disaster risk in Monroe County, Missouri

Missouri · population 8,635 · FIPS 29137

Overall: very low risk

Monroe County has a composite risk score of 21.2 out of 100 — higher than 21% of US counties. It ranks 101 of 115 in Missouri (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are heat wave, lightning, drought.

Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 7 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 27.5% of Monroe County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 7 weeks in a row.

Drought in Monroe County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.

Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Very low 21.2
Expected annual loss
About $7.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Very low 21.9
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 50.2
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively moderate 53.7

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Monroe County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Heat wave Relatively moderate 82
Lightning Relatively moderate 64
Drought Relatively low 60
Tornado Relatively low 43
Hail Relatively low 36
Cold wave Relatively low 35
Winter weather Relatively low 35
Strong wind Relatively low 27
Landslide Very low 54
Earthquake Very low 45
Wildfire Very low 31
Ice storm Very low 26
Inland (riverine) flooding Very low 24
Hurricane Very low 19
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Monroe County

Federal declarations that designated Monroe County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Monroe County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4924-MO (Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 30 Jun 2026.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4924-MO Major disaster Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding 30 Jun 2026 No

All FEMA declarations in Missouri, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.

How to read these ratings

  • Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
  • Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
  • Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
  • Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
  • Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
  • Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
  • "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).

About this data

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.

Questions

What is the natural disaster risk in Monroe County, Missouri?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Monroe County as very low, with a score of 21.2 out of 100 (higher than 21% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Monroe County?

The hazards rated highest for Monroe County are heat wave (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate), drought (relatively low).

What is the flood risk in Monroe County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Monroe County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Monroe County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Monroe County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4924-MO (Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 30 Jun 2026.

Is Monroe County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 27.5% of Monroe County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 7 weeks in a row.

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