FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Iowa · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cerro Gordo County, IA
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Biological.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 70
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Biological
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cerro Gordo County in the top 30% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Cerro Gordo County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Iowa county average and the national county average.
- Cerro Gordo County
- 1
- Iowa county avg
- 2
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cerro Gordo County?
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2020, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at — declarations per year, or roughly 51% below the Iowa county average of 2.0 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Biological, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 69.6/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $27.4M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Moderate and community resilience scores Very High — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Drought (Relatively High).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Cerro Gordo County at a very low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Cerro Gordo County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Iowa Avg
-51%
State avg: 2.0
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
—
—
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Cerro Gordo County
The radar plots Cerro Gordo County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
19033
IA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 1 FEMA disaster declarations in Cerro Gordo County by incident type.
Biological 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Cerro Gordo County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4483 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-23 |
Storm Events in Iowa
NOAA severe weather data for Iowa (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5,492 | 7 | 229 | $41.3M |
| Hail | 3,992 | 0 | 0 | $4.4M |
| Heavy Rain | 2,424 | 0 | 0 | $292.0K |
| Winter Storm | 1,626 | 3 | 4 | $2.8M |
| Drought | 1,565 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Cerro Gordo County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 69.6/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$27.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Cerro Gordo County.
Drought Relatively High
Tornado Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Hail Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Hurricane Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Iowa
Other Iowa counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cerro Gordo County, Iowa had?
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2020. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cerro Gordo County?
The most common disaster type in Cerro Gordo County is Biological, with 1 declaration.
How does Cerro Gordo County's disaster risk compare to the Iowa average?
Cerro Gordo County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 51% lower than the Iowa county average of 2.0 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cerro Gordo County received?
Cerro Gordo County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Iowa?
The most common storm types in Iowa include Thunderstorm Wind (5,492 events), Hail (3,992 events), Heavy Rain (2,424 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cerro Gordo County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Cerro Gordo County has a very low disaster risk level with 1 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cerro Gordo County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa has an overall risk score of 69.6 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $27.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cerro Gordo County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cerro Gordo County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Relatively Moderate) and Winter Weather (Relatively High). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Cerro Gordo County
Cerro Gordo County, IA has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a very low historical disaster load, 51% below the Iowa county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Iowa overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA — Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 — all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) — per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database — state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
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