Flood Zones in Cherokee County, Iowa: The 2024 Flood

The Little Sioux River runs through Cherokee County, and in June 2024 it produced the most severe flood in the area's recorded history. The recovery from that flood -- disaster declarations, federal funding, and a local buyout program -- was still actively unfolding as of 2026, which makes current flood-zone status here a live question, not settled history.

This page covers what's specific to Cherokee County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

The June 2024 flood: a new record on the Little Sioux River

Following multiple days of heavy rainfall on June 20-22, 2024, the Little Sioux River flooded catastrophically through northwest Iowa, hitting the towns of Cherokee and Spencer especially hard. In Cherokee, the river crested at 35 feet -- well past the town's previous flood record of 28 feet, meaning this wasn't simply a bad flood by historical standards, it was the worst flood the community had measured. A U.S. Geological Survey report on the event characterizes it as part of a broader, severe flooding episode across northwestern Iowa that same week, and total damage across the affected region was estimated at over $310 million.

Cherokee County was covered under two separate federal major disaster declarations tied to 2024 storm activity: FEMA-4784-DR-IA, declared May 24, 2024, covering severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding from May 20-31, 2024; and FEMA-4796-DR-IA, declared June 24, 2024, covering severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, and tornadoes from June 16-July 23, 2024 (the declaration that specifically captures the record Little Sioux River flood). Cherokee County was designated eligible under FEMA's Public Assistance program (Categories A-G, covering both emergency and permanent infrastructure work) under both declarations.

Recovery funding is still arriving -- this is not closed history

As of May 2026 reporting, the City of Cherokee was set to receive a $3.8 million FEMA grant specifically to relocate a lift station that was damaged by the June 2024 flooding -- with the grant's hazard-mitigation component funding the station's move out of the floodplain entirely, along with new sewer mains and replacement manhole lids designed to prevent a repeat failure in a future flood. The city separately received close to $300,000 in additional FEMA funding for riverbank and road repairs. A follow-up KWIT report from September 2026 described FEMA continuing to send additional recovery money to the broader Siouxland region tied to the 2024 floods, indicating the recovery process was still active more than two years after the event.

The city has also pursued a buyout and demolition program for flood-damaged properties that won't be rebuilt -- reported at roughly $2.3 million in total project cost, with about 75% (roughly $1.7 million) coming from a FEMA Public Assistance grant. This buyout program is a City of Cherokee-led municipal action, not a countywide program administered by Cherokee County itself, so its direct relevance depends on whether a specific parcel sits within city limits versus unincorporated county land along the same river corridor -- but the underlying flood risk, and the county's inclusion in both federal disaster declarations, applies to the Little Sioux River corridor across the county, not just inside city limits.

What this means for evaluating land near the Little Sioux River

If you're evaluating a parcel near the Little Sioux River or its tributaries anywhere in Cherokee County, treat June 2024 as the flood to benchmark against, not an older or more theoretical FEMA flood-insurance-rate-map scenario -- a 35-foot crest against a previous 28-foot record shows real flood behavior can exceed what older maps or informal local knowledge might suggest. Confirm the parcel's current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) zone, ask the county whether the FIRM has been updated since the 2024 event, and specifically ask whether the parcel (or a structure on it) was affected by the June 2024 flood, is within any area under consideration for a buyout, or has had any post-flood infrastructure work (like a relocated lift station or repaired road) done nearby that could signal how the area is expected to perform going forward.

Because this recovery process was still active as of the most recent reporting available, don't assume the current flood-risk picture for the area is finished or fully mapped -- ask Cherokee County directly (and, for anything inside city limits, the City of Cherokee) for the most current status before relying on this page or an older flood map as the final word.

Flood Zones in Cherokee County, Iowa: What the 2024 Flood Means for Land Here

The June 2024 flood: a new record on the Little Sioux River

Recovery funding is still arriving -- this is not closed history

What this means for evaluating land near the Little Sioux River

Ready to talk to someone who knows land?