Photo: Tom Britt · CC BY 2.0For tornadoes, Clay Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #331 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 56 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 Clay 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
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 Clay Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clay Township, and Clay Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B #331 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Clay Township’s residents live in 19 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, Clay Township has more expected damage per building than 56% of Indiana towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Clay Township has lower expected damage per building than 69% (#123 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $41.8M, is the 283th largest of those 400.
Does Clay Township flood? Sometimes: 56 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clay Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The 2026-08-Indiana-Flooding19 claims · $1.1M
Clay 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: Hamilton County.The storms Clay Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Hamilton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Clay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202619 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Hamilton County
- 20115 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20034 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Hamilton County
Hamilton County has had 17 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 Clay Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clay Township archive →Clay Township and its neighbors
Clay Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Township | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Zionsville | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Westfield Washington Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Carmel | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 91 |
| Clay Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
| Fishers | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Indianapolis | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,638 |
| Washington Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 903 |
| Noblesville | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 129 |
| Noblesville Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Clay 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.
- 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 Clay Township
Is Clay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #331 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Clay Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 56 claims in Clay Township since 1978, $1.4M in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2026-08-Indiana-Flooding (19).
Is Clay 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 Hamilton County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clay 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 Clay Township?
By flood claims, 2026-08-Indiana-Flooding: 19 paid, $1.1M.
Is Clay Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Clay Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clay 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.