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Natural hazards · Martelle

Martelle, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Martelle comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Martelle?

75
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Martelle to be higher than in 75% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding56%Tornadoes11%Drought11%Strong wind9%Hail6%Everything else7%
By hazard

What Martelle faces

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

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Drought

11% of expected damage
Recorded about 17 times a year in the area

Strong wind

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Martelle flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Martelle.

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Martelle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jones County.
Disasters that hit Martelle

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into MartelleDeclared for Jones County only
2020

Severe Storms

4 households applied for aid $8K to the City of Martelle for repairs
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2007

Severe Winter Storms

$3K to the City of Martelle for repairs
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
Jones County has had 17 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. Martelle 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 Martelle’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Martelle. 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.

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