Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Cresco

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
Kellow HouseKellow House · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Cresco · FEMA

FEMA puts Cresco’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cresco gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #2 of 140 in Iowa. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then tornadoes (24%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 58%Tornadoes 24%Strong wind 9%

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 93%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#2 of 140 in Iowa
Hazard risk
A#2 of 140
in Iowa · lower than 93% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 20 declared for Howard County
By hazard

What Cresco 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

58%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Earthquakes Heat waves top 3% Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Cresco’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 Cresco’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cresco, and Cresco’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 9%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Cresco sits
Cresco
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #2 of 140 in Iowa; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Cresco’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Tornadoes24%Strong wind9%Everything else9%

The typical Iowa town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cresco has less expected damage per building than 99% of Iowa towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Cresco: $778K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Cresco’s 3,888 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Cresco flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cresco. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Howard County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cresco

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$258 aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding95 households applied for aid$163K aid approved$6K to the City of Cresco for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$12K to the City of Cresco for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CrescoHoward County only

Howard County has had 20 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 Cresco after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Cresco archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Cresco 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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Cresco

Is Cresco at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cresco has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #2 of 140 in Iowa. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and tornadoes (24%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Cresco 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 Howard County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cresco?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cresco’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 Cresco?

By FEMA money that reached Cresco, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 95 households applied for aid, $163K approved, and $6K to the City of Cresco for repairs.

Is Cresco at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Cresco’s rate for it is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cresco.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cresco’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.