Natural hazards · Lawton

Lawton, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lawton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2019. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lawton?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lawton to be higher than in 56% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding36%Tornadoes25%Drought13%Hail10%Cold waves9%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Lawton faces

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

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

25% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Drought

13% of expected damage

Recorded about 33 times a year in the area

Hail

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Lawton flood?

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

1paid claims since 2019

$14Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20192026

Biggest named events

March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 1 claim, $14K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Woodbury County.

Disasters that hit Lawton

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LawtonDeclared for Woodbury County only

2019

Severe Storms and Flooding

8 households applied for aid $6K aid approved $55K to the City of Lawton for repairs

2009

Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm

$6K to the City of Lawton for repairs

2007

Snow

$5K to the City of Lawton for repairs

Woodbury County has had 16 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. Lawton 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 Lawton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lawton. 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.