River-bottom land in Ray County sits in mapped floodplain

The Missouri River runs along the southern edge of Ray County. The flat farmland near the river is called bottomland. It sits low to the ground. FEMA, the federal agency that maps flood risk, often marks land like this as a special flood hazard area. That means a high chance of flooding. If you want to buy property in the bottoms, the flood zone matters. If you use a federally backed mortgage, which is a home loan supported by the government, your lender will usually require flood insurance for a building in a high-risk zone. The zone also affects how much that insurance costs. Before you buy or build, look up the address on FEMA Flood Map Service Center to see its zone. Ask if a levee or drainage district serves the area, because that can change how the land is mapped. A parcel is not necessarily safe just because it has not flooded lately. The local office can confirm the details.