On FEMA’s figures, Brown Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brown Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #300 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2010.
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 Brown 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Brown Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brown Township, and Brown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).
B #300 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brown Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brown Township has more expected damage per building than 51% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $790K a year in losses across Brown Township: $570K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brown Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brown Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Brown 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: Hancock County.The storms Brown Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Hancock County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brown Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20102 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Hancock 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.
Old photos of Brown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brown Township archive →Brown Township and its neighbors
Brown Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Green Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brown Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Adams Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Greensboro Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Wayne Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Brown 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Brown Township
Is Brown Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brown Township has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #300 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (11%). 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 Brown Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Brown Township since 2010, $19K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Brown 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 Hancock County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brown Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brown Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Brown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Brown Township’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brown Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brown 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.