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W. Emslie BlockPhoto: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Montezuma · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Montezuma than in 74% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montezuma gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%), then tornadoes (26%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 49%Tornadoes 26%Strong wind 16%

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 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Iowa · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
49% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Poweshiek County
By hazard

What Montezuma 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

49%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

26%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Strong wind

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning top 2% Winter storms Heat waves top 1% Hurricanes Cold 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 drought at 28% of Montezuma’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Montezuma’s grade

River and rain flooding is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Montezuma, and Montezuma’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 26%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Montezuma sits
Montezuma
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding49%Tornadoes26%Strong wind16%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Montezuma: $453K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Montezuma’s 1,442 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Malcom city (270 residents) and Deep River city (249 residents) and Guernsey city (63 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 Montezuma flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Poweshiek County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Montezuma

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

  1. 2020Severe Storms14 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$18K to the City of Montezuma for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$13K to the City of Montezuma for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$29K to the City of Montezuma for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MontezumaPoweshiek County only

Poweshiek County has had 12 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 Montezuma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Montezuma archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Montezuma 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Montezuma

Is Montezuma at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montezuma has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%) and tornadoes (26%). 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 Montezuma 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 Poweshiek County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Montezuma?

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

By FEMA money that reached Montezuma, Severe Winter Storms (2007): $29K to the City of Montezuma for repairs.

Is Montezuma at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Montezuma’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Montezuma.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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