TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
West UnionGood night
Natural hazards · West Union

West Union, IA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Union comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate 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 West Union?

57
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in West Union to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding55%Tornadoes21%Cold waves8%Strong wind7%Everything else9%
By hazard

What West Union faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

21% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Cold waves

8% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 West Union flood?

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

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

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into West UnionDeclared for Fayette County only
2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

$33K to the City of West Union for repairs
2010

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

1 household applied for aid $1K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

19 households applied for aid $20K aid approved $36K to the City of West Union for repairs
2007

Severe Winter Storms

$7K to the City of West Union for repairs
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

7 households applied for aid $4K aid approved
Fayette County has had 20 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. West Union 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 West Union’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of West Union. 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in West Union, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

West Union 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