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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Center Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Center 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, Center Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #344 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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

less than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#344 of 593 in Indiana
By hazard

What Center 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves 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 9% of Center Township’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 Center Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Center Township, and Center Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Center Township sits
Center Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #344 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Center Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes13%Earthquakes7%Everything else6%

The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, Center Township has more expected damage per building than 58% of Indiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Center Township: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Center Township covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Center Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Center Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 3 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20102013
20102026
4
paid claims since 2010
$112K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Center 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: Hendricks County.
Disasters

The storms Center Township remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Hendricks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Center Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20133 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Center TownshipHendricks County only

Hendricks County has had 11 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 Center Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Center Township archive →
Next door

Center Township and its neighbors

Center Township is 4th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Liberty TownshipB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding—
AvonBless damage than 59%river and rain flooding—
Washington TownshipBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding—
Center TownshipBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding4
Clay TownshipC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding3
Middle TownshipC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding4
Marion TownshipC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
Union TownshipC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Center 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.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Center Township

Is Center Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Center Township has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #344 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Center Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Center Township since 2010, $112K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Center 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 Hendricks County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Center Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Center Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Center Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Center Township’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Center Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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