Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Elliott

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
Elliott, IowaPhoto: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Elliott · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Elliott

Elliott isn’t graded for hazard risk: Elliott has 420 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1982.

Flood claims
32
paid since 1982 · $137K
Flooded more than once
3
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Montgomery County
By hazard

What Elliott 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

68%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Earthquakes Heat waves top 0% Lightning 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 drought at 22% of Elliott’s expected losses. Drought does 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Elliott flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elliott, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 4 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 11 claims2008: 15 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 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 claims198220072008
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm2 claims · $8K
  • The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $4K
32
paid claims since 1982
$137K
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Montgomery County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elliott

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$7K to the City of Elliott for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding41 households applied for aid$46K aid approved$98K to the City of Elliott for repairs15 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes18 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$6K to the City of Elliott for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ElliottMontgomery County only

Montgomery 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 Elliott after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Elliott archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Elliott 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 ↗
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 Elliott

Does Elliott flood?

Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Elliott since 1982, $137K in all. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (2).

Is Elliott 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 Montgomery County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Elliott?

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

By FEMA money that reached Elliott, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 41 households applied for aid, $46K approved, and $98K to the City of Elliott for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 2 paid, $8K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elliott.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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