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Iowa's lead hazards are those associated with severe weather including, heavy rains and flooding, tornadoes and high winds, ice storms, and blizzards and heavy snow. Iowa has also been affected by hazardous materials spills both at fixed facilities and those associated with transportation accidents.
Iowa has experienced 18 major disaster events since 1989, 16 have resulted in a Presidential declaration of major disaster.
Perhaps the most defining natural disaster incident in the State of Iowa, at least in recent history, are the Floods of 1993. Flooding resulted in 17 fatalities and more than $2 billion dollars in damage. Over 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes and 21,000 homes were damaged, many destroyed. During the Summer of 1993, it rained at some locations within the state, each day for 130 consecutive days. Some areas of the State flooded more than five times. Agricultural yields dropped by 62%.
Presidential Disaster Declarations
| Date |
Cause |
# Counties Declared |
|
June 1990
|
Flooding
DR-868-IA |
39 |
|
September 1990
|
Flooding
DR-879-IA |
17 |
|
July 1991
|
Severe Weather
DR-911-IA |
16 |
|
December 1991
|
Ice Storm
DR-928-IA
|
44 |
|
October 1992
|
Flooding
DR-965-IA |
9 |
|
April 1993
|
Flooding
DR-986-IA |
16 |
|
June 1993
|
Flooding
DR-996-IA |
99 |
|
June 1996
|
Flooding
DR-1133-IA |
16 |
|
August 1996
|
Flooding
DR-1121-IA |
15 |
|
October 1997
|
Snow Storm
DR-1191-IA |
13 |
|
July 1998
|
Severe Weather
DR-1230-IA |
80 |
|
May 1999
|
Severe Weather
DR-1277-IA |
12 |
|
July 1999
|
Flooding
DR-1282-IA |
20 |
|
April 2001
|
Severe Weather/ Tornado
DR-1367-IA |
23 |
|
June 2002
|
Flooding
DR-1420-IA |
17 |
|
May 2004
|
Severe Weather/ Flooding/Tornado
DR-1518-IA
|
77 |
| September 2005 Emergency Declaration |
Hurricane Katrina
EM-3239
|
Statewide |
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Flood Information 
