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Bremen-indiana-from-abovePhoto: Public domain · Public domain
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Bremen · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Bremen faces less hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bremen gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #85 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 68%Tornadoes 20%Hail 5%

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

less than 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#85 of 593 in Indiana
Hazard risk
A#85 of 593
in Indiana · lower than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2018 · $48K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 14 declared for Marshall County
By hazard

What Bremen 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

68%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Hurricanes Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves top 5% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 21% of Bremen’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bremen’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bremen, and Bremen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 20% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Bremen sits
Bremen
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #85 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Bremen’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Tornadoes20%Hail5%Everything else6%

The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bremen has less expected damage per building than 86% of Indiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Bremen: $926K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bremen’s 4,696 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bremen flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bremen, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
2
paid claims since 2018
$48K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bremen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Marshall County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bremen

Disasters that paid out in Bremen itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bremen), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding18 households applied for aid$61K aid approved$140K to the Town of Bremen for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
  4. 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  5. 2000Snow$4K to the Town of Bremen for repairs
  6. 1999In-winter Storm 12/23/98$5K to the Town of Bremen for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BremenMarshall County only

Marshall County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bremen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bremen archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bremen faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Bremen

Is Bremen at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bremen has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #85 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and tornadoes (20%). 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 Bremen flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bremen since 2018, $48K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Bremen 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 Marshall County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bremen?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bremen’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 Bremen?

By FEMA money that reached Bremen, Severe Storms and Flooding (2018): 18 households applied for aid, $61K approved, and $140K to the Town of Bremen for repairs.

Is Bremen at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Bremen’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bremen.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bremen’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.