Polk County flood history
Iowa · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 1,550 flood insurance claims in Polk County, Iowa since 1978. The NFIP paid $38.5 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 1993, with 454, mostly from Midwest Flooding.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 202 claims, and the average paid claim was $74,711.
25% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.4% of homes in Polk County, Iowa had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (670 of 163,854 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 23% (366 of 1,607).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 7 flood-related disaster declarations covering Polk County, Iowa. The most recent was DR-4942-IA (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared September 1, 2026.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | $1.7 million |
| 2025 | 1 | $0 |
| 2024 | 4 | $47,256 |
| 2023 | 1 | $0 |
| 2021 | 3 | $8,920 |
| 2020 | 1 | $0 |
| 2019 | 21 | $511,855 |
| 2018 | 145 | $10.2 million |
| 2015 | 37 | $2.2 million |
| 2014 | 5 | $7,660 |
| 2013 | 4 | $100,717 |
| 2012 | 2 | $5,955 |
| 2011 | 3 | $33,797 |
| 2010 | 167 | $3.6 million |
| 2009 | 5 | $9,222 |
| 2008 | 154 | $7.6 million |
| 2007 | 6 | $177,477 |
| 2006 | 1 | $235 |
| 2005 | 1 | $0 |
| 2004 | 12 | $224,146 |
| 2003 | 2 | $0 |
| 2002 | 5 | $39,356 |
| 2001 | 2 | $462 |
| 2000 | 1 | $1,165 |
| 1999 | 1 | $0 |
| 1998 | 103 | $1.1 million |
| 1997 | 6 | $311,430 |
| 1996 | 3 | $3,908 |
| 1995 | 3 | $0 |
| 1993 | 454 | $8.5 million |
| 1991 | 1 | $0 |
| 1990 | 200 | $1.5 million |
| 1987 | 1 | $1,276 |
| 1986 | 86 | $587,208 |
| 1984 | 20 | $18,897 |
| 1983 | 27 | $42,954 |
| 1982 | 12 | $13,477 |
| 1981 | 7 | $9,821 |
| 1980 | 4 | $4,380 |
| 1979 | 8 | $15,074 |
| 1978 | 5 | $4,952 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest Flooding | 1993 | 370 | $7.9 million |
| Storm | 2008 | 71 | $2.0 million |
| Flooding | 1990 | 183 | $1.5 million |
| March 2019 Midwest Flooding | 2019 | 3 | $209,379 |
| Late spring storms | 2011 | 3 | $33,797 |
| Flooding | 1984 | 6 | $4,555 |
| Late spring storms | 2012 | 1 | $0 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 670 residential NFIP policies in Polk County, against 163,854 residential buildings (0.4%). Of the 1,607 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 366 have an NFIP policy (23%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4942-IA | Sep 1, 2026 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4784-IA | May 24, 2024 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-4421-IA | Mar 23, 2019 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-4386-IA | Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | No |
| DR-1930-IA | Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| DR-1763-IA | May 27, 2008 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1518-IA | May 25, 2004 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Yes |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of Iowa.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.