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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Spirit Lake · FEMA

Spirit Lake’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spirit Lake gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #89 of 140 in Iowa. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2024.

River and rain flooding 71%Tornadoes 20%Strong wind 3%

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#89 of 140 in Iowa
Hazard risk
B−#89 of 140
in Iowa · higher than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2024 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 15 declared for Dickinson County
By hazard

What Spirit Lake 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

71%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Winter storms top 1% Hail Ice storms Wildfire Earthquakes Lightning Cold waves Heat waves top 4% 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 cold waves at 12% of Spirit Lake’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 Spirit Lake’s grade

River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Spirit Lake, and Spirit Lake’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Spirit Lake sits
Spirit Lake
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #89 of 140 in Iowa; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Spirit Lake’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding71%Tornadoes20%Strong wind3%Everything else6%

The typical Iowa town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Spirit Lake has more expected damage per building than 63% of Iowa towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Spirit Lake: $2.2M 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, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes in 2024, FEMA took 312 aid registrations from Spirit Lake addresses (the town has 2,881 homes).
A small-area figure. Spirit Lake covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Spirit Lake flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2024

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Spirit Lake, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2024
20242026
Biggest named events
  • The June Midwest Flooding1 claim · $4K
1
paid claims since 2024
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Dickinson County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Spirit Lake

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes312 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$51K to the City of Spirit Lake for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$18K to the City of Spirit Lake for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$25K to the City of Spirit Lake for repairs
  5. 2007Snow$16K to the City of Spirit Lake for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Spirit LakeDickinson County only

Dickinson County has had 15 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 Spirit Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Spirit Lake archive →
Next door

Spirit Lake and its neighbors

Spirit Lake has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Orleans: not gradedOkoboji: not gradedOrleansOkobojiSpirit Lake
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Spirit LakeB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding1
Orleans—527 residents; we grade 1,000+
Okoboji—969 residents; we grade 1,000+

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake

Is Spirit Lake at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spirit Lake has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #89 of 140 in Iowa. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Spirit Lake flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Spirit Lake since 2024, $4K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from June Midwest Flooding (1).

Is Spirit Lake 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 Dickinson County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Spirit Lake?

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

By FEMA money that reached Spirit Lake, Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2024): 312 households applied for aid, $1.2M approved. By flood claims, June Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $4K.

Is Spirit Lake at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Spirit Lake’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spirit Lake.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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