Northern Missouri
Two rivers shape Chariton County, and the bottoms are floodplain
The county's productive bottomland along the Missouri and Chariton rivers is also floodplain, so buyers and owners should check flood mapping and drainage before assuming standard rules.
The Missouri River runs along the county’s southern edge and the Chariton River drains the county from the north, and the rich bottomland that makes this strong farm country is also floodplain. For anyone buying land, a home, or farm ground near either river, the practical step is to check whether a parcel sits in a mapped flood zone before assuming ordinary rules apply, since that affects insurance, building, and what kind of flooding to expect. FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center is the federal source for flood zones, and levee or drainage-district arrangements may also be in play in the bottoms. Don’t rely on a seller’s general impression that ‘it doesn’t really flood’; pull the official map and ask about levee protection and past high water. Missouri SEMA is the anchor for county emergency-management and flood preparedness.
References
Where this fits: this note belongs to Chariton County. See every local note for the county on its page.