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Eldridge, IowaPhoto: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Eldridge · FEMA

FEMA puts Eldridge’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eldridge gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #11 of 140 in Iowa. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then hail (12%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 76%Hail 12%Tornadoes 5%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#11 of 140 in Iowa
Hazard risk
A−#11 of 140
in Iowa · lower than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1993 · $90K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 17 declared for Scott County
By hazard

What Eldridge 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

76%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Wildfire Lightning Hurricanes Winter storms Cold waves Heat 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 8% of Eldridge’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 Eldridge’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eldridge, and Eldridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hail at 12% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Eldridge sits
Eldridge
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #11 of 140 in Iowa; lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Hail12%Tornadoes5%Everything else7%

The typical Iowa town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Eldridge has less expected damage per building than 93% of Iowa towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Eldridge: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Eldridge’s 6,726 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 Eldridge flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Eldridge, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19932013
19932026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $15K
3
paid claims since 1993
$90K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$30K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Scott County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Eldridge

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2020Severe Storms47 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$104K to the City of Eldridge for repairs
  3. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$750 aid approved
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EldridgeScott County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Eldridge archive →
Next door

Eldridge and its neighbors

Eldridge has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Davenport: hazard risk BDavenportEldridge
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
EldridgeA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding3
DavenportBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding898

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Eldridge 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 ↗
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 Eldridge

Is Eldridge at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eldridge has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #11 of 140 in Iowa. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hail (12%). 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.

Does Eldridge flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Eldridge since 1993, $90K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (1).

Is Eldridge 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 Scott County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Eldridge?

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

By FEMA money that reached Eldridge, Severe Storms (2020): 47 households applied for aid, $26K approved, and $104K to the City of Eldridge for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $15K.

Is Eldridge at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Eldridge’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eldridge.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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