Disasters in Iowa

Current and Past Disasters

Iowa's lead hazards are those associated with severe weather including, heavy rains and flooding, tornadoes and high winds, ice storms, and blizzards and heavy snow. Iowa has also been affected by hazardous materials spills both at fixed facilities and those associated with transportation accidents.

Iowa has experienced 22 presidential declared disasters since 1990. In 2007, Iowa had a record five disasters that received presidential emergency disaster declarations totaling more than $126 million in federal aid. It began with an ice storm in late February, followed by heavy snow a few days later in March, major spring flooding occurred in southwest iowa in May, more flooding across the state occurred in August, and another ice storm in December finished off the year. Total damages from the first ice storm came to $80,350,034. Public utilities, and especially the hard-hit rural electric cooperatives, accounted for $57,711,172 of this total. 

Perhaps one of the most defining natural disaster incidents in Iowa history was the Floods of 1993. Flooding resulted in 17 fatalities and more than $2 billion dollars in damage. Over 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes and 21,000 homes were damaged, many destroyed. During the summer of 1993, it rained at some locations within the state, each day for 130 consecutive days. Some areas of the State flooded more than five times. Agricultural yields dropped by 62%.

 

Presidential Disaster Declarations

DR-1737 - Severe Winter Storm   
Incident Period: December 10-December 11, 2007   Declared: January 4, 2008

 

Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Davis, Decatur, Fremont, Iowa, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, and Wayne

DR-1727 - Severe Storms, High Winds & Flooding   
Incident Period: August 17–September 5, 2007   Declared: September 14, 2007

  

Allamakee, Appanoose, Boone, Calhoun, Cherokee, Davis, Humboldt, Mahaska, Montgomery, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Wayne, Winneshiek, Webster

DR-1705 - Severe Storms, Flooding & Tornadoes    
Incident Period: May 5-May 7, 2007   Declared: May 25, 2007

 

Audubon, Cass, Clarke, Crawford, Decatur, Fremont, Harrison, Ida, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Taylor, Union 
EM-3275 - Record / Near Record Snowfall    
Incident Period: February 28-March 2, 2007   Declared: March 30, 2007

Adair, Audubon, Buena Vista, Carroll, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Greene, Guthrie, Hancock, Harrison, Humboldt, Ida, Monona, Osceola, Sac, Shelby and the contiguous counties of Clay, Crawford, Emmet, Humboldt, Kossuth, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie, Sac, Shelby, Webster, Winnebago, Wright
DR-1688 - Severe Winter Storms    
Incident Period: February 23-March 2, 2007  Declared: March 14, 2007

Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Calhoun, Cedar, Chickasaw, Clinton, Des Moines, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Marion, Marshall, Mitchell, Muscatine, Pocahontas, Poweshiek, Story, Tama, Van Buren, Wapello, Washington, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth, Wright
EM-3239 - Hurricane Katrina
Declared: September 2005

All 99 counties
DR-1518 - Severe Storms, Tornadoes, & Flooding   
Incident Period: May 19-June 24, 2004   Declared: May 25, 2004

Adair, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Calhoun, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clay, Clayton, Dallas, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Fremont, Grundy, Guthrie, Hancock, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jasper, Jones, Kossuth, Linn, Lucas, Marshall, Mitchell, Page, Pocahontas, Polk, Story, Tama, Taylor, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth, Wright
DR-1420-IA - Severe Weather, Flooding & Tornado
Declared: June 2002

Allamakee, Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott, Winneshiek 
DR-1367-IA - Severe Weather & Tornado
Declared: April 2001

Allamakee, Buchanan, Calhoun, Clayton, Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Grundy, Henry, Humboldt, Jackson, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Muscatine, Palo Alto, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Union, Wapello, Webster 
DR-1282-IA – Flooding      
Declared: July 1999

Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Crawford, Fayette, Floyd, Harrison, Howard, Jones, Linn, Mills, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pottawattamie, Story, Worth, Woodbury
DR-1277-IA - Severe Weather
Declared: May 1999

Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Harrison, Jones, Linn, Montgomery, Scott
DR-1230-IA - Severe Weather
Declared: July 1998

Adair, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Iowa, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Muscatine, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Wapello, Washington, Warren, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Wright
DR-1191-IA - Snow Storm
Declared: October 1997

Cass, Clarke, Iowa, Jasper, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Mills, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Union, Warren
DR-1121-IA – Flooding
Declared: August 1996

Adair, Adams, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Madison, Mahaska, Muscatine, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Washington
DR-1133-IA – Flooding
Declared: June 1996

Audubon, Boone, Cherokee, Crawford, Hamilton, Hardin, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Sac, Shelby, Story, Woodbury
DR-996-IA – Flooding
Declared: June 1993

All 99 counties
DR-986-IA – Flooding
Declared: April 1993

Benton, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Butler, Cedar, Des Moines, Floyd, Kossuth, Linn, Louisa, Mitchell, Muscatine, Scott, Tama, Webster
DR-965-IA – Flooding
Declared: October 1992

Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Madison, Monroe, Ringgold, Union, Wayne 
DR-928-IA – Ice Storm
Declared: December 1991

Adair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dallas, Dickinson, Emmet, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Madison, Mills, Mitchell, Montgomery, O’Brien, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Taylor, Union, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth, Wright 
DR-911-IA - Severe Weather
Declared: July 1991

Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Cass, Chickasaw, Clayton, Emmet, Fayette, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Johnson, Kossuth, Marshall, Story, Tama 
DR-879-IA – Flooding
Declared: September 1990

Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Clinton, Fayette, Franklin, Fremont, Howard, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Pottawattamie, Winneshiek, Worth
DR-868-IA – Flooding
Declared: June 1990

Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Des Moines, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Louisa, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Monona, Monroe, Muscatine, Plymouth, Polk, Scott, Shelby, Story, Tama, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Webster, Woodbury