Photo: Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Dakota City
Dakota City isn’t graded for hazard risk: Dakota City has 752 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1978.
What Dakota City 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
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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.
Does Dakota City flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dakota City, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Erin8 claims · $56K
- The Storm2 claims · $3K
- The Severe flooding1 claim · $592
Dakota City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Humboldt County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dakota City
Disasters that paid out in Dakota City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Dakota City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$4K to the City of Dakota City for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes24 households applied for aid$22K aid approved$16K to the City of Dakota City for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding27 households applied for aid$48K aid approved$7K to the City of Dakota City for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$21K to the City of Dakota City for repairs
- 2007Snow$3K to the City of Dakota City for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Humboldt County has had 19 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.
Old photos of Dakota City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dakota City archive →Dakota City and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humboldt | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Dakota City faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Dakota City
Does Dakota City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Dakota City since 1978, $189K in all. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Erin (8).
Is Dakota City 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 Humboldt County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dakota City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dakota City’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 Dakota City?
By FEMA money that reached Dakota City, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 27 households applied for aid, $48K approved, and $7K to the City of Dakota City for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Erin: 8 paid, $56K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dakota City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dakota City’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.