Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Heron Lake
Heron Lake isn’t graded for hazard risk: Heron Lake has 593 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Heron 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
Tornadoes
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.
Does Heron Lake flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Heron Lake. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Heron 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: Jackson County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Heron Lake
Disasters that paid out in Heron Lake itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Heron Lake), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding71 households applied for aid$324K aid approved$24K to the City of Heron Lake for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm$7K to the City of Heron Lake for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the City of Heron Lake for repairs
Jackson 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.
Old photos of Heron Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Heron Lake archive →Heron Lake and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weimer Township | — | 175 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.
Get ready for what Heron 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Heron Lake
Is Heron 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 Jackson County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Heron Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Heron 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 Heron Lake?
By FEMA money that reached Heron Lake, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 71 households applied for aid, $324K approved, and $24K to the City of Heron Lake for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Heron Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Heron 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.