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St. Patrick Catholic Church Epworth, IA - panoramioPhoto: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Epworth · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Epworth than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Epworth gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then tornadoes (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 61%Tornadoes 22%Hail 12%

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 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Iowa · lower than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Dubuque County
By hazard

What Epworth 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

61%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire 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 16% of Epworth’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 Epworth’s grade

River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Epworth, and Epworth’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 22%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Epworth sits
Epworth
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding61%Tornadoes22%Hail12%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $728K a year in losses across Epworth: $416K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Epworth’s 2,023 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Farley city (1,766 residents) and Bankston city (23 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Epworth flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Epworth. 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

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

Insurance rates: Dubuque County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Epworth

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$270K to the City of Epworth for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the City of Epworth for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes5 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$800 to the City of Epworth for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$28K to the City of Epworth for repairs
  5. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the City of Epworth for repairs
  6. 1999Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$3K to the City of Epworth for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EpworthDubuque County only

Dubuque County has had 18 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 Epworth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Epworth archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Epworth 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 Epworth

Is Epworth at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Epworth has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and tornadoes (22%). 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 Epworth 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 Dubuque County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Epworth?

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

By FEMA money that reached Epworth, Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2024): $270K to the City of Epworth for repairs.

Is Epworth at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Epworth’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Epworth.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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