Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Charlestown 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, Charlestown Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #333 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 64 claims here since 1978.
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 Charlestown 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 Charlestown Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Charlestown Township, and Charlestown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B #333 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Charlestown Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, Charlestown Township has more expected damage per building than 56% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.7M a year in losses across Charlestown Township: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Charlestown Township flood? Sometimes: 64 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Charlestown Township, from FEMA’s records: 10.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms4 claims · $16K
- The Central U.S. April Flooding4 claims · $167K
Charlestown 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: Clark County.The storms Charlestown Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Clark County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Charlestown Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 199710 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Clark County
- 20157 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clark County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Charlestown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Charlestown Township archive →Charlestown Township and its neighbors
Charlestown Township is 2nd of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestown | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Charlestown Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| Utica Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Silver Creek Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Jeffersonville | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 144 |
| Owen Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oregon Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Union Township | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Monroe Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Otisco | — | 109 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 Charlestown 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 Charlestown Township
Is Charlestown Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Charlestown Township has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #333 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Charlestown Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 64 claims in Charlestown Township since 1978, $1.1M in all, or 10.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (4).
Is Charlestown 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 Clark County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Charlestown Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Charlestown 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 Charlestown Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 4 paid, $16K.
Is Charlestown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Charlestown Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Charlestown Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Charlestown 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.