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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Brookston · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Brookston faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookston gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 74%Tornadoes 12%Hail 6%

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 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Indiana · lower than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 15 declared for White County
By hazard

What Brookston 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves top 4% 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 25% of Brookston’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 Brookston’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brookston, and Brookston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Brookston sits
Brookston
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes12%Hail6%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $628K a year in losses across Brookston: $364K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Brookston’s 1,631 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 Brookston flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brookston. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Brookston 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.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brookston

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding32 households applied for aid$107K aid approved
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding29 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding109 households applied for aid$848K aid approved
  4. 2007Snow$3K to the Town of Brookston for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  6. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
  2. 2000Snow$1K to the Town of Brookston for repairs
  3. 1999In-winter Storm 12/23/98$4K to the Town of Brookston for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BrookstonWhite County only

White County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Brookston archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Brookston 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Brookston

Is Brookston at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookston has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (12%). 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.

Is Brookston 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, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Brookston?

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

By FEMA money that reached Brookston, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 109 households applied for aid, $848K approved.

Is Brookston at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Brookston’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brookston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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