Photo: Thrive Allen County · CC BY-SA 4.0

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Iola Township · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Iola Township

Iola Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Iola Township has 932 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 66 claims here since 1986.

Flood claims

paid since 1986 · $3.0M

Disasters paid out here

of 11 declared for Allen County

By hazard

What Iola Township 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

82%of expected building damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts

Smaller shares here

Strong wind top 4% Hail Ice storms Earthquakes Winter storms top 4% Hurricanes Wildfire Lightning Cold waves Heat 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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Iola Township flood? Sometimes: 66 flood claims since 1986

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Iola Township, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

198620072024

19862026

Biggest named events

The Thunderstorms49 claims · $2.3M

paid claims since 1986

$3.0M

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$45K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Allen County.

Disasters

The storms Iola Township remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Allen County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Iola Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

200749 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, declared for Allen County
19868 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allen County
20244 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Allen County

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in Iola TownshipAllen County only

Allen County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Iola Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Iola Township archive →

Next door

Iola Township and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

IolaBassettNeosho Falls TownshipGeneva TownshipHumboldt TownshipLogan TownshipIola Township

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Iola	Cmore damage than 73%	river and rain flooding	65
Bassett	—	22 residents; we grade 1,000+
Neosho Falls Township	—	403 residents; we grade 1,000+
Geneva Township	—	143 residents; we grade 1,000+
Humboldt Township	—	153 residents; we grade 1,000+
Logan Township	—	32 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 Iola Township 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Iola Township

Does Iola Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 66 claims in Iola Township since 1986, $3.0M in all. The most claims came from Thunderstorms (49).

Is Iola Township 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 Allen County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Iola Township?

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

By flood claims, Thunderstorms: 49 paid, $2.3M.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Iola Township.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

Post to Iola Township

Check your email