259 flood insurance claims·$5.0M paid·6 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Perry County, Missouri. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
River overflow along the Mississippi dominates the flood character of Perry County, MO, backed by historical records showing 52 general flood events and 30 flash flood events over the last 30 years, resulting in a combined two deaths.
Recent events illustrate this river-driven risk. Above-normal April rainfall led to elevated river levels that exceeded the flood stage at Chester just before the end of April 2024, extending minor flood conditions through the first three weeks of May. Additionally, elevated water levels flowing down the Mississippi River resulted in minor flooding limited mostly to low-lying agricultural areas in early to mid-July 2024.
NFIP insurance claims data reflects this geographic exposure. Zone A properties experienced the vast majority of claims with 249 filings, averaging a payout of $20,977 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $35,985 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with a $20,000 payout and an average recorded water depth of 20 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $2,817 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents near rivers and within Zone A should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Perry County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
250 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 12 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1993, with 234 claims and $4.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding and Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
25 NOAA storm reports from Perry County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 29, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 11, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
82 since 1996: 30 flash floods and 52 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 30, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 28, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 11, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 25, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 30, 2024. Above normal rainfall in much of Missouri, Illinois, and Southeast Iowa for April led to elevated river levels by the end of the month on the Mississippi River. The flood stage at Chester was exceeded just before the end of the month, continuing into May.
Flood · May 28, 2024. Recent local rainfall along with the arrival of upstream elevated flows resulted in the Mississippi River temporarily rising into minor flood late in the month at Chester.
Flood · Jul 4, 2024. Elevated water levels flowing down the Mississippi River from locations north of the Quad State resulted in minor flooding on the Mississippi in Southeast Missouri from early to mid July. Impacts were mostly limited to low-lying agricultural areas.
Flood · May 1, 2024. Above normal April rainfall in much of Missouri, Illinois, and Southeast Iowa led to elevated river levels early May on the Mississippi River. The flood stage at Chester was exceeded just before the beginning of April, while Cape Girardeau and Thebes reached minor flood in early May, albeit for a short duration at Thebes. Rainy weather May 5th-8th and 14th-17th extended minor flood conditions at Chester and Cape G…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Perry County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.