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