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Strawberry Motel - Strawberry Point, IA (5623479374)Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Strawberry Point · FEMA

FEMA puts Strawberry Point’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Strawberry Point gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
By hazard

What Strawberry Point 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

76%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes 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 10% of Strawberry Point’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 Strawberry Point’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Strawberry Point, and Strawberry Point’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 12%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Strawberry Point sits
Strawberry Point
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Tornadoes12%Hail8%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $824K a year in losses across Strawberry Point: $470K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Strawberry Point’s 1,155 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Volga city (203 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 Strawberry Point flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Clayton County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Strawberry Point

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes14 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$3K to the City of Strawberry Point for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$50K aid approved
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding9 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Strawberry PointClayton County only

Clayton County has had 24 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 Strawberry Point after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Strawberry Point archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Strawberry Point 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 Strawberry Point

Is Strawberry Point at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Strawberry Point has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 Strawberry Point 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 Clayton County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Strawberry Point?

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

By FEMA money that reached Strawberry Point, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 19 households applied for aid, $50K approved.

Is Strawberry Point at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Strawberry Point’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Strawberry Point.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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