More hazard damage per building is expected in Phillips Township than in 82% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Phillips Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then earthquakes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1996.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Phillips Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Phillips Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Phillips Township, and Phillips Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Phillips Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Phillips Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Phillips Township flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Phillips Township, from FEMA’s records: 18.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms4 claims · $177K
Phillips Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: White County.The storms Phillips Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for White County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Phillips Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20115 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for White County
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for White County
- 20051 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
White County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Phillips Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Phillips Township archive →Phillips Township and its neighbors
Phillips Township is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robb Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Carmi Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Gray Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Phillips Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Harmony Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bethel Township | — | 224 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hawthorne Township | — | 142 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Burnt Prairie Township | — | 275 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Phillips Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Phillips Township
Is Phillips Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Phillips Township has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and earthquakes (41%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Phillips Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Phillips Township since 1996, $317K in all, or 18.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (4).
Is Phillips Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In White County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Phillips Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Phillips Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Phillips Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 4 paid, $177K.
Is Phillips Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Phillips Township’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Phillips Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Phillips Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.