Natural hazards · Polk

Polk, MO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Polk comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Polk?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Polk to be higher than in 47% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding39%Tornadoes31%Cold waves10%Heat waves6%Hail5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Polk faces

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

Inland flooding

39% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

31% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Hail

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Polk flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Nodaway County.

Disasters that hit Polk

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Nodaway County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Polk itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into PolkDeclared for Nodaway County only

Nodaway County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Polk

Polk and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

White Cloudmostly inland floodingHigh

Nodawaymostly inland floodingHigh

Monroemostly inland floodingHigh

Greenmostly inland floodingHigh

Hughesmostly inland floodingHigh

Unionmostly inland floodingHigh

Jacksonmostly inland floodingHigh

Jeffersonmostly inland floodingHigh

Grantmostly inland floodingHigh

Polkmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Polk covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Polk’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Polk. 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 Polk total about $5.5M 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.