TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
CambridgeGood morning
Natural hazards · Cambridge

Cambridge, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cambridge comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2008. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Cambridge?

41
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cambridge to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding46%Tornadoes24%Drought15%Hail5%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Cambridge faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

24% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 26 years in the area

Drought

15% of expected damage
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hail

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
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 Cambridge flood?

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

5paid claims since 2008
$29Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20082026

Biggest named events

  • Storm: 4 claims, $23K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Cambridge isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Story County.
Disasters that hit Cambridge

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Cambridge itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Cambridge.

Brought FEMA money into CambridgeDeclared for Story County only
2024

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

30 households applied for aid $66K aid approved
2020

Severe Storms

20 households applied for aid $8K aid approved $17K to the City of Cambridge for repairs
2010

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

45 households applied for aid $180K aid approved $13K to the City of Cambridge for repairs
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

43 households applied for aid $98K aid approved $20K to the City of Cambridge for repairs
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

15 households applied for aid $24K aid approved $2K to the City of Cambridge for repairs
Story County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Cambridge is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cambridge’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Cambridge. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Cambridge, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Cambridge is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map