Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Algona

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Henry Adams Building, State Street and Moore Street, Algona, IA - 54371425330Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Algona · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Algona than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Algona gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #31 of 140 in Iowa. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then tornadoes (34%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2019.

River and rain flooding 56%Tornadoes 34%Strong wind 6%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#31 of 140 in Iowa
Hazard risk
B+#31 of 140
in Iowa · lower than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2019 · $22K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 17 declared for Kossuth County
By hazard

What Algona faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

56%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

34%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Ice storms Winter storms Earthquakes Wildfire Lightning Heat waves top 1% Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 29% of Algona’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Algona’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Algona, and Algona’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 34%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Algona sits
Algona
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #31 of 140 in Iowa; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Algona’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Tornadoes34%Strong wind6%Everything else5%

The typical Iowa town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Algona has less expected damage per building than 78% of Iowa towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Algona: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Algona covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Algona flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2019

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Algona, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2019
20192026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2019 Midwest Flooding1 claim · $22K
1
paid claims since 2019
$22K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Algona isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Kossuth County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Algona

Disasters that paid out in Algona itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Algona), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$36K to the City of Algona for repairs
  2. 2024Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$37K to the City of Algona for repairs
  3. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$136K to the City of Algona for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$25K to the City of Algona for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes10 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  6. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$41K aid approved$17K to the City of Algona for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding18 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AlgonaKossuth County only

Kossuth County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Algona after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Algona archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Algona faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Algona

Is Algona at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Algona has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #31 of 140 in Iowa. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and tornadoes (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Algona flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Algona since 2019, $22K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding (1).

Is Algona in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Kossuth County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Algona?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Algona’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Algona?

By FEMA money that reached Algona, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): $136K to the City of Algona for repairs. By flood claims, March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $22K.

Is Algona at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Algona’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Algona.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Algona’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.