Natural hazards · Iola

Iola, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Iola 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 Iola?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Iola to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding79%Everything else21%

By hazard

What Iola faces

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

Inland flooding

79% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Iola flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Columbia County.

Disasters that hit Iola

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into IolaDeclared for Columbia County only

Columbia County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Iola

Iola and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Iolamostly inland floodingModerate

Greenwoodmostly inland floodingModerate

Pinemostly inland floodingModerate

Millvillemostly 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. Iola 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 Iola’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Iola. 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.