Disaster Data / States / Iowa / Cherokee County

County

Cherokee County, Iowa

Cherokee County recorded 17 federal disaster and emergency declarations since FY2000 (through FY2025): 14 major disasters, 3 emergencies, and 0 fire-management declarations. Its most common hazard is severe storm.

Highlighted: Cherokee County, IA

Totals: FY2000–FY2025 · Page last rebuilt Sep 12, 2026 · the current in-progress fiscal year is not included in totals

17
Declarations since FY2000
14
Major disasters (DR)
3
Emergencies (EM)
0
Fire management (FM)
Jun 2024
Most recent
$16.7M
Federal PA obligated (top: utilities)

The federal disaster record for Cherokee County runs between 2005 and 2024, covering 17 declarations in all. Its most recent major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes in 2024. The hazards behind these declarations were most often severe storm, flood, and biological. Since 2000, FEMA has obligated about $16.7 million in Public Assistance funding to the jurisdiction, most of it for utilities.

Risk and vulnerability context

Historical declarations show what has happened here. These national datasets add context about underlying natural-hazard risk and community vulnerability.

County FIPS 19035
CDC / ATSDR

Social Vulnerability Index

2022 county-level SVI
15.5
overall percentile nationally

Approximately 15.5% of U.S. counties have an equal or lower overall SVI ranking.

Socioeconomic status10.0
Household characteristics21.0
Racial and ethnic minority status26.5
Housing type and transportation43.2

Higher percentiles indicate greater relative social vulnerability within the CDC SVI framework. CDC SVI documentation

FEMA

National Risk Index

December 2025
34.1
overall risk score
Very Low
Expected annual loss$10.7MVery Low
NRI social vulnerability42.7Relatively Moderate
Community resilience81.8Very High

The NRI combines expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience to describe relative natural-hazard risk. FEMA NRI documentation

About these measures: CDC Social Vulnerability Index and FEMA National Risk Index Social Vulnerability are separate measures built with different methods. They are shown side by side for context and should not be interpreted as equivalent scores.

Federal Public Assistance by category

Federal share obligated to this jurisdiction under FEMA Public Assistance since 2000, grouped by damage category. Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar and reflect obligations, which may change as projects close out.

CategoryProjectsFederal share obligated
Utilities(F)20$5,089,775
Roads and bridges(C)66$4,633,630
Emergency protective measures(B)50$3,537,950
Debris removal(A)18$1,536,400
Parks and recreation(G)19$1,507,861
Buildings and equipment(E)15$185,517
Water control facilities(D)2$131,913
Management costs(Z)6$40,242
All categories196$16,663,288

Recovery funding, how fast it came

For each disaster, the wait from the declaration to the first federal obligation (amber), then the federal share obligating after that (teal), on a shared 8-year scale. Typical wait to the first obligation here: about 195 days. An obligation is the federal share committed to the recipient state, not funds disbursed to the locality, which comes later and is not shown.

Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes 2024$8.5M
226 days to first federal obligation
Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes 2022$3K
176 days to first federal obligation
Covid-19 Pandemic 2020$59K
235 days to first federal obligation
Severe Storms And Flooding 2019$3.4M
214 days to first federal obligation
Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding 2018$210K
171 days to first federal obligation
Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding 2014$616K
103 days to first federal obligation
Declared1 yr2 yr3 yr4 yr5 yr6 yr7 yr8 yr

Assistance to households (Individual Assistance)

FEMA Individual Assistance to households in this jurisdiction, combined across the Housing Assistance owner and renter programs. Valid registrations are households that applied within a designated Individual Assistance area; approved counts and dollars are the households FEMA found eligible under the Individuals and Households Program. Figures are self-reported and drawn from NEMIS through OpenFEMA, not audited, and Individual Assistance exists only for disasters where it was designated, so many jurisdictions show none.

556
valid registrations
305
households approved
$2,156,139
total IHP approved
Assistance typeApproved amount
Repair and replacement$1,399,410
Rental assistance$54,707
Other needs$702,022

Hazard mitigation, what has been funded here

Federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance obligated to this jurisdiction to reduce future disaster losses, across the FEMA mitigation programs. This is the record of past mitigation investment a local hazard mitigation plan documents. Figures are federal share obligated, reported through OpenFEMA and not audited, and are separate from the Public Assistance funding above.

$9,674,512
federal mitigation share
16
funded projects
320
properties mitigated
ProgramProjectsFederal share obligated
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program(HMGP)6$9,643,179
Pre-Disaster Mitigation(PDM)9$28,333
Flood Mitigation Assistance(FMA)1$3,000

State declarations (governor)

Emergency declarations issued by the governor of this state, which are separate from and usually precede a federal declaration. A declaration is listed here when NOAA Storm Events recorded reports of the matched hazard in this jurisdiction while the order was in effect. That is evidence of local impact during a declared state emergency. It is not a statement that the governor named this jurisdiction in the order, since most state declarations apply statewide and name no localities at all. Hazard categories come from the order text. Damage figures are NOAA storm report estimates for this jurisdiction only, not the cost of the declaration.

21
state declarations with local storm evidence
54
statewide on record

Archive coverage for Iowa: 2024-present HSEMD proclamation tables; 2000-2023 not collected.; Collection failed: Iowa adapter: scrape failed

SignedOrderDeclarationHazards reported hereReported damage
May 20, 20262026-07Severe Weather Occurring on May 15 and continuing(Emmet, Hancock, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Winnebago, Woodbury, and Worth Counties)Hail, Thunderstorm Wind, TornadoNot reported
Jul 31, 20252025-20Severe Weather occurring on July 28, 2025 and continuing (Plymouth County)Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Jul 31, 20252025-19Severe Weather and Flooding occurring on July 17, 2025 (Hancock County)Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Jul 30, 20252025-18Severe Weather occurring on July 28, 2025 and continuing (Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, Palo Alto, Worth Counties)Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Jul 29, 20252025-17Severe Weather occurring on July 28, 2025 (Hancock, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux Counties)Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Jun 13, 20252025-15Severe Weather occurring on June 11, 2025 (Osceola and Palo Alto Counties)Hail, Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Apr 18, 20252025-13Severe Weather occurring on April 18, 2025 (Buena Vista, Fremont, Page, and Plymouth Counties)HailNot reported
Aug 1, 20242024-39Severe Storms July 29 and continuing (Cass, Mills, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Wapello, Webster, and Woodbury)Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Jul 30, 20242024-38Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing - Emergency Classrooms (Sioux)Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Jul 3, 20242024-32Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing (Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Fremont, Harrison, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, Mills, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright)FloodNot reported
Jun 28, 20242024-31Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing (Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Fremont, Harrison, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, Mills, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright)FloodNot reported
Jun 24, 20242024-27Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing (Allamakee)Flood$1,020,000
Jun 24, 20242024-26Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing (Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Pottawattamie)Flood$1,020,000
Jun 23, 20242024-25Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing (Palo Alto)Flood$1,020,000
Jun 22, 20242024-24Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing (Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth, and Wright)Flood$1,020,000
Jun 22, 20242024-23Severe Storms and Flooding June 21 and continuing (Sioux County)Flood$1,020,000
May 22, 20242024-13Severe weather beginning May 20 and continuing (Black Hawk, Buena Vista, Butler, Cedar, Clinton, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hancock, Humboldt, Iowa, Jackson, Mills, Muscatine, O'Brien, Polk and Story Counties)Hail$2,000
May 21, 20242024-12Severe weather beginning May 20 and continuing (Adair, Adams, Cass, Clay, Hardin, Harrison, Jasper, Kossuth, Marshall, Montgomery, Page, Palo Alto, Pottawattamie, Tama, and Warren Counties)Hail$2,000
May 8, 20242024-11Severe weather beginning May 6 and continuing (allows state resources to be utilized to respond to, and recover from, the effects of severe weather in Clarke, Marion, O’Brien, and Pottawattamie Counties)HailNot reported
Apr 29, 20242024-10Severe weather beginning April 26 and continuing (allows state resources to be utilized to respond to, and recover from, the effects of severe weather in Clarke, Crawford, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Ringgold, Shelby, and Union Counties)HailNot reported
Apr 26, 20242024-09Severe weather beginning April 26 and continuing (allows state resources to be utilized to respond to, and recover from, the effects of severe weather in Pottawattamie County)HailNot reported

Source: state executive order archives collected by DisasterData Plus, joined to NOAA Storm Events. See the Plus overview for per-state coverage and method.

Most common hazards

Previous occurrences, for your mitigation plan

Every local hazard mitigation plan must document previous occurrences of each hazard. Here is that record for Cherokee County, sourced to OpenFEMA and refreshed weekly. Copy it straight into your plan.

HazardDateFEMA declarationType
Severe StormJun 24, 2024DR-4796-IADR
Severe StormMay 24, 2024DR-4784-IADR
Severe StormFeb 23, 2022DR-4642-IADR
BiologicalMar 23, 2020DR-4483-IADR
BiologicalMar 13, 2020EM-3480-IAEM
FloodMar 23, 2019DR-4421-IADR
Severe StormAug 20, 2018DR-4386-IADR
FloodJul 24, 2014DR-4184-IADR
Severe StormJul 2, 2013DR-4126-IADR
Severe StormMay 5, 2011DR-1977-IADR
Severe StormJul 29, 2010DR-1930-IADR
Severe StormMar 2, 2010DR-1880-IADR
Severe StormFeb 25, 2010DR-1877-IADR
Severe StormMay 27, 2008DR-1763-IADR
Severe StormSep 14, 2007DR-1727-IADR
SnowstormMar 30, 2007EM-3275-IAEM
HurricaneSep 10, 2005EM-3239-IAEM

Every declaration on record

DR = Major disaster (Stafford Act) · EM = Emergency declaration · FM = Fire management assistance

Showing 17 declarations

DateNumberTypeHazardTitle
Jun 24, 2024DR-4796-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
May 24, 2024DR-4784-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
Feb 23, 2022DR-4642-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
Mar 23, 2020DR-4483-IADRBiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
Mar 13, 2020EM-3480-IAEMBiologicalCovid-19
Mar 23, 2019DR-4421-IADRFloodSevere Storms And Flooding
Aug 20, 2018DR-4386-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
Jul 24, 2014DR-4184-IADRFloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
Jul 2, 2013DR-4126-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
May 5, 2011DR-1977-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds
Jul 29, 2010DR-1930-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes
Mar 2, 2010DR-1880-IADRSevere StormSevere Winter Storm
Feb 25, 2010DR-1877-IADRSevere StormSevere Winter Storms And Snowstorm
May 27, 2008DR-1763-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
Sep 14, 2007DR-1727-IADRSevere StormSevere Storms And Flooding
Mar 30, 2007EM-3275-IAEMSnowstormSnow
Sep 10, 2005EM-3239-IAEMHurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
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How these numbers are built

Drawn from FEMA's OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, rebuilt each week. A declaration is counted here once for each designated area it names, so a single disaster covering many localities is counted in each one. For that reason these jurisdiction counts do not sum to Iowa's statewide total. This page counts declarations that named this jurisdiction as a designated area. Totals cover complete fiscal years (Oct 1 to Sep 30); the in-progress year may appear in the most-recent list but is not counted in the totals. Uses OpenFEMA data but is not endorsed by or affiliated with FEMA.

Cite this profile

Choose a citation style, then copy the formatted citation. This profile is derived from FEMA OpenFEMA data and is updated as the underlying Disaster Data build is refreshed.

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