Elkader’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elkader comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 60 claims here since 1979. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Elkader’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Elkader flood? Sometimes: 60 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elkader, from FEMA’s records.
- The Storm24 claims · $1.3M
- The Midwest Flooding3 claims · $11K
Elkader isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clayton County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elkader
Disasters that paid out in Elkader itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Elkader) and its biggest flood years.
- 2016Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding$77K to the City of Elkader for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding81 households applied for aid$365K aid approved$1.5M to the City of Elkader for repairs25 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding29 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$33K to the City of Elkader for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
- 2001Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$11K to the City of Elkader for repairs
- 1999Severe Storms and Flooding$71K to the City of Elkader for repairs
- 1999Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$32K to the City of Elkader for repairs
Show all 7
- 199111 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Clayton County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Elkader after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elkader archive →How exposed is Elkader?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 80% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 1,001 of the 1,026 Iowa towns we cover.
Elkader covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Elkader faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Hail
Get ready for what Elkader actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in April–June
The month each of Clayton County’s 24 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Elkader’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Elkader.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Elkader, expected losses total about $3.3M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elkader.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.