New nationwide flood study released Monday says Decorah is at a greater flooding risk

PHOTO CAPTION: Map of Decorah flooding risks courtesy of First Street Foundation

The non-profit group First Street Foundation has just completed an extensive study of almost every property in the United States—including all homes and buildings in Decorah.

Its study—released on Monday—says 36 percent of the properties in Decorah have a chance of being flooded in the next 30 years.

The complete study of Decorah properties can be found here.  It places 201 Decorah properties in the "extreme risk" category, with another 355 properties in the "severe" category and 471 properties in the "major risk" category.  The study is an updated look at flooding, taking into consideration that Iowa has gotten warmer in the last 30 years, which has led to rainstorms being more frequent and more intense.

Decorah is the smallest Iowa community on the list of Iowa communities with at least 1,000 properties at risk of flooding, says the report.

A spokesperson for First Street Foundation says their study of flood risks not only took into consideration the trend towards heavier rainstorms, but looked at smaller streams and creeks which fed into regular rivers, something that is not always studied in FEMA maps.

Iowa has had five major floods in the last 30 years, including four in the last 12 years.  Decorah's most damaging flood came in 2008.

PHOTO CAPTION: Map of Decorah flooding risks courtesy of First Street Foundation