Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Tipton

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
Tipton, IowaPhoto: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Tipton · FEMA

For strong wind, Tipton’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tipton gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #54 of 140 in Iowa. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then tornadoes (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 47%Tornadoes 19%Strong wind 19%

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 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#54 of 140 in Iowa
Hazard risk
B#54 of 140
in Iowa · lower than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
47% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 15 declared for Cedar County

What stands out about Tipton’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants2 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Tipton 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

47%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hail

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Heat waves top 3% Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Tipton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tipton, and Tipton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tipton sits
Tipton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #54 of 140 in Iowa; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding47%Tornadoes19%Strong wind19%Everything else16%

The typical Iowa town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tipton has less expected damage per building than 62% of Iowa towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Tipton: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Tipton’s 3,149 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 Tipton flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Cedar County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1storm safe room built
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tipton

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$62K to the City of Tipton for repairs
  2. 2020Severe Storms66 households applied for aid$57K aid approved$116K to the City of Tipton for repairs
  3. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$113K to the City of Tipton for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$1K to the City of Tipton for repairs
  5. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$40K to the City of Tipton for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding61 households applied for aid$520K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2007Severe Winter Storm$17K to the City of Tipton for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Winter Storms$28K to the City of Tipton for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$402 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TiptonCedar County only

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

Add to the Tipton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Tipton 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 Tipton

Is Tipton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tipton has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #54 of 140 in Iowa. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and tornadoes (19%). 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 Tipton 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 Cedar County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tipton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Tipton, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 61 households applied for aid, $520K approved.

Is Tipton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Tipton’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tipton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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