Every federal disaster in Des Moines since 1953
Each square is a disaster or emergency declaration by the President or FEMA that covered Polk County. Declarations make federal aid available after hurricanes, floods, storms, fires and other events, so this is a record of the big ones.
- Declarations
- 29since 1953
- Major disasters
- 26the most serious kind
- Since 2000
- 16declarations
- Most recent
- 2026Severe Storms and Flooding
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Polk County's overall natural hazard risk relatively moderate, led by strong wind, tornado and heat wave. The history above shows what has actually happened; the risk index estimates what is likely.
All declarations
| Declared | Event | Type | FEMA number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-4942 |
| May 24, 2024 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-4784 |
| May 14, 2024 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | Major disaster | DR-4779 |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds | Major disaster | DR-4561 |
| Aug 17, 2020 | Severe Storms | Major disaster | DR-4557 |
| Mar 23, 2020 | COVID-19 Pandemic | Major disaster | DR-4483 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | COVID-19 | Emergency | EM-3524 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | COVID-19 | Emergency | EM-3480 |
| Apr 29, 2019 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-4430 |
| Mar 23, 2019 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-4421 |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-4386 |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | Major disaster | DR-1930 |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-1763 |
| Mar 14, 2007 | Severe Winter Storms | Major disaster | DR-1688 |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Emergency | EM-3239 |
| May 25, 2004 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-1518 |
| Jul 2, 1998 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding | Major disaster | DR-1230 |
| Nov 20, 1997 | Severe Snowstorms | Major disaster | DR-1191 |
| Jul 9, 1993 | Severe Storms & Flooding | Major disaster | DR-996 |
| May 26, 1990 | Severe Storms & Flooding | Major disaster | DR-868 |
| Jun 24, 1974 | Severe Storms & Flooding | Major disaster | DR-443 |
| Aug 14, 1969 | Heavy Rains & Flooding | Major disaster | DR-269 |
| Apr 25, 1969 | Flooding | Major disaster | DR-259 |
| Apr 22, 1965 | Flooding | Major disaster | DR-193 |
| Sep 5, 1962 | Floods | Major disaster | DR-133 |
| Mar 31, 1961 | Floods | Major disaster | DR-111 |
| Jul 5, 1958 | Floods | Major disaster | DR-86 |
| Jun 23, 1954 | Flood | Major disaster | DR-17 |
| Jun 11, 1953 | Flood | Major disaster | DR-8 |
Frequently asked questions
How many federal disasters has Des Moines had?
Since 1953, the federal government has issued 29 disaster or emergency declarations covering Polk County, including 26 major disaster declarations. 16 of them came in 2000 or later.
What was the most recent federal disaster in Des Moines?
Severe Storms and Flooding (Major disaster, declared September 1, 2026).
What kinds of disasters hit Des Moines most often?
By FEMA incident type: flood (14), severe storm (9), biological (3) and snowstorm (1).
New to Des Moines? The city profile covers flood maps and emergency alerts, and the risk summary shows FEMA's hazard ratings.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), downloaded October 18, 2026. We list declarations that named Polk County, plus early statewide declarations from before FEMA designated individual counties. "Major disaster" declarations bring the widest federal aid; "emergency" declarations cover shorter-term help; "fire management" declarations help pay to fight large wildfires.