Natural disaster risk in Benton County, Iowa
Iowa · population 25,558 · FIPS 19011
Overall: very low risk
Benton County has a composite risk score of 28.8 out of 100 — higher than 28% of US counties. It ranks 67 of 99 in Iowa (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, strong wind, hail.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Benton County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 18 weeks in a row.
Drought in Benton County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Very low 28.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $15.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 52.4 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 92.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Benton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 55 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 45 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 43 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 40 |
| Landslide | Very low 42 |
| Wildfire | Very low 36 |
| Cold wave | Very low 21 |
| Earthquake | Very low 20 |
| Heat wave | Very low 17 |
| Lightning | Very low 14 |
| Hurricane | Very low 11 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Benton County
Federal declarations that designated Benton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Benton County.
All FEMA declarations in Iowa, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Benton County, Iowa?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Benton County as very low, with a score of 28.8 out of 100 (higher than 28% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Benton County?
The hazards rated highest for Benton County are drought (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Benton County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Benton County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Benton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Benton County.
Is Benton County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Benton County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 18 weeks in a row.
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