Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ida Grove

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
IdaGroveIAPhoto: Krswess · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ida Grove · FEMA

Ida Grove’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ida Grove gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 2007.

River and rain flooding 72%Tornadoes 20%Strong wind 4%

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

more than 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Iowa · higher than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 2007 · $36K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 16 declared for Ida County
By hazard

What Ida Grove 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

72%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Ice storms Winter storms top 4% Wildfire Earthquakes Heat waves top 2% 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 tornadoes at 29% of Ida Grove’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (19.5%), 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 Ida Grove’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ida Grove, and Ida Grove’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ida Grove sits
Ida Grove
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Tornadoes20%Strong wind4%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Ida Grove: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ida Grove’s 2,051 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 Ida Grove flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 2007

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ida Grove, from FEMA’s records: 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 4 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200720102019
20072026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2019 Midwest Flooding2 claims · $7K
8
paid claims since 2007
$36K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Ida County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ida Grove

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$416K to the City of Ida Grove for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$5K to the City of Ida Grove for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes16 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$106K to the City of Ida Grove for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$12K to the City of Ida Grove for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes18 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$106K to the City of Ida Grove for repairs
  6. 2007Snow$4K to the City of Ida Grove for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ida GroveIda County only

Ida County has had 16 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 Ida Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Ida Grove archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ida Grove 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 ↗
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 Ida Grove

Is Ida Grove at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ida Grove has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (20%). 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 Ida Grove flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Ida Grove since 2007, $36K in all, or 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding (2).

Is Ida Grove 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 Ida County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Ida Grove?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ida Grove, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): $416K to the City of Ida Grove for repairs. By flood claims, March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 2 paid, $7K.

Is Ida Grove at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Ida Grove’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ida Grove.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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