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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Wapello · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Wapello faces more hazard damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wapello gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then strong wind (12%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 64%Strong wind 12%Tornadoes 11%

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 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Iowa · higher than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1993 · $221K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Louisa County
By hazard

What Wapello 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

64%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

12%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

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Wildfire Lightning Hurricanes Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves top 3% 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 Wapello’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wapello, and Wapello’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 12%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wapello sits
Wapello
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Strong wind12%Tornadoes11%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Wapello: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Wapello’s 2,084 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Morning Sun city (752 residents) and Oakville city (200 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 Wapello flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wapello, from FEMA’s records: 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 2 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199320012014
19932026
Biggest named events
  • The Severe flooding1 claim · $15K
  • The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $22K
6
paid claims since 1993
$221K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$37K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Louisa County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
34flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wapello

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding25 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding78 households applied for aid$393K aid approved$14K to the City of Wapello for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$1K to the City of Wapello for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WapelloLouisa County only

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

Add to the Wapello archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Wapello 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Wapello

Is Wapello at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wapello has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and strong wind (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.

Does Wapello flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Wapello since 1993, $221K in all, or 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Severe flooding (1).

Is Wapello 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 Louisa County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Wapello?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wapello, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 78 households applied for aid, $393K approved, and $14K to the City of Wapello for repairs. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 1 paid, $15K.

Is Wapello at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Wapello’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wapello.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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