TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
UnderwoodGood evening
Natural hazards · Underwood

Underwood, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Underwood comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Underwood?

59
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Underwood to be higher than in 59% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding34%Tornadoes23%Drought13%Hail11%Cold waves7%Strong wind7%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Underwood faces

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

Inland flooding

34% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

23% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Drought

13% of expected damage
Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Hail

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% 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 92% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Underwood flood?

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

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

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into UnderwoodDeclared for Pottawattamie County only
2024

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

1 household applied for aid $750 aid approved
2019

Severe Storms and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $9K aid approved $183K to the City of Underwood for repairs
2011

Flooding

$960 to the City of Underwood for repairs
2009

Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm

$11K to the City of Underwood for repairs
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $88 aid approved $5K to the City of Underwood for repairs
2007

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

4 households applied for aid $1K aid approved
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $4K aid approved
Pottawattamie County has had 24 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. Underwood 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 Underwood’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Underwood. 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.

The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Underwood, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Underwood 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