Natural hazards · Griswold

Griswold, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Griswold comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 1998. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Griswold?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Griswold to be higher than in 54% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding26%Cold waves24%Drought24%Tornadoes14%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Griswold faces

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

Inland flooding

26% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

24% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Drought

24% of expected damage

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Griswold flood?

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

27paid claims since 1998

$232Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19982026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Griswold isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cass County.

Disasters that hit Griswold

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into GriswoldDeclared for Cass County only

2019

Severe Storms and Flooding

$33K to the City of Griswold for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

10 households applied for aid $16K aid approved $7K to the City of Griswold for repairs

2007

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

103 households applied for aid $197K aid approved $30K to the City of Griswold for repairs

2007

Snow

$5K to the City of Griswold for repairs

Cass County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

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. Griswold 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 Griswold’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Griswold. 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.