2 flood insurance claims·$329 paid·1 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 Sullivan 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Sullivan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Sep 9, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 9, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Sep 29, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2008 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2004 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 9, 2020. A brief tornado formed near I-29 close to the town of Oregon, Missouri. This tornado was filmed, so while video evidence exists, there was no reported damage from this brief tornado. Ongoing moderate to heavy rain caused some roads to be closed in central Missouri through most of the day.
Flood · Sep 29, 2019. Several areas had flash flooding after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell across the area. The worst of the flooding came from Harrisonville, where several business were inundated under several feet of water.
Flood · Apr 5, 2017. Widespread moderate to heavy rain resulted in numerous roads across northern Missouri to be flooded. Impacts were rather low, as most of these closures were soon resolved once the water receded.
Flash Flood · May 15, 2009. Thunderstorms produced heavy rains across portions of northwest Missouri on may 15, 2009. Numerous flash flood warnings were needed. There were also reports of large hail. Rainfall amounts were as high as 10 inches in spots. This caused several area rivers to go into flood.
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 Sullivan 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.