TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
NorwalkGood evening
Natural hazards · Norwalk

Norwalk, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Norwalk comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Norwalk?

17
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Norwalk to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding37%Tornadoes27%Heat waves10%Cold waves8%Strong wind7%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Norwalk faces

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

Inland flooding

37% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 22% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

27% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Heat waves

10% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Norwalk flood?

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

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

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into NorwalkDeclared for Warren County only
2018

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$45K to the City of Norwalk for repairs
2010

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

17 households applied for aid $58K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

142 households applied for aid $263K aid approved $52K to the City of Norwalk for repairs
2007

Severe Winter Storm

$21K to the City of Norwalk for repairs
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $4K aid approved
Warren County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Norwalk

Norwalk and the towns around it

Des Moines: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Des Moines: Low, mostly inland floodingPleasant Hill: Very low, mostly inland floodingUrbandale: Low, mostly inland floodingWindsor Heights: High, mostly inland floodingCumming: Low, mostly inland floodingClive: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWaukee: Low, mostly inland floodingNorwalk: Very low, mostly inland flooding NorwalkDes MoinesWest Des Moines
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
West Des Moinesmostly inland floodingLow
Des Moinesmostly inland floodingLow
Norwalkmostly inland floodingVery low
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. Norwalk covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Norwalk’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Norwalk. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Norwalk total about $3.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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 porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Norwalk, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Norwalk 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