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Mount Ayr, IAPhoto: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Mount Ayr · FEMA

Mount Ayr’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Ayr gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (37%), then hail (28%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 37%Hail 28%Tornadoes 23%

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 51%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 · higher than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
37% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 17 declared for Ringgold County

What stands out about Mount Ayr’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Hail: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hail here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 27.9% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants3 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Mount Ayr 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

37%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hail

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Strong wind

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Ice storms Heat waves top 0% Earthquakes Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Hurricanes 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 30% of Mount Ayr’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 Mount Ayr’s grade

River and rain flooding is 37% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Ayr, and Mount Ayr’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 28%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Mount Ayr sits
Mount Ayr
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding37%Hail28%Tornadoes23%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Mount Ayr: $515K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms and Tornadoes in 2024, FEMA took 280 aid registrations from Mount Ayr addresses (the town has 805 homes).
Shared tract.All of Mount Ayr’s 1,623 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Kellerton city (243 residents) and Redding 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 Mount Ayr flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mount Ayr. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

What’s been done with FEMA grants
3storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Ayr

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms and Tornadoes280 households applied for aid$150K aid approved$51K to the City of Mount Ayr for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$4K to the City of Mount Ayr for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes70 households applied for aid$74K aid approved$23K to the City of Mount Ayr for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding37 households applied for aid$130K aid approved$20K to the City of Mount Ayr for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Winter Storm$54K to the City of Mount Ayr for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Mount AyrRinggold County only

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

Add to the Mount Ayr archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Mount Ayr 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Mount Ayr

Is Mount Ayr at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Ayr has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (37%) and hail (28%). 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 Mount Ayr 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.

How much is flood insurance in Mount Ayr?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mount Ayr, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2024): 280 households applied for aid, $150K approved, and $51K to the City of Mount Ayr for repairs.

Is Mount Ayr at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (37%), and Mount Ayr’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Ayr.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Ayr’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.