Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Columbus Township
Columbus Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Columbus Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 243 claims here since 1978.
What Columbus 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.
Does Columbus Township flood? Yes: 243 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Columbus Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The Storm183 claims · $9.8M
- The Central U.S. April Flooding4 claims · $36K
Columbus 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: Bartholomew County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Columbus Township
Disasters that paid out in Columbus Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Columbus Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes1,974 households applied for aid$13.6M aid approved$6K to Columbus Township for repairs183 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding60 households applied for aid$208K aid approved12 flood claims paid that year
Bartholomew County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Columbus Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Columbus Township archive →Columbus Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Wayne Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| German Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Flat Rock Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbus | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 264 |
| Sand Creek Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Rock Creek Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Clay Township | Cmore damage than 71% | 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.
Get ready for what Columbus 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 Columbus Township
Does Columbus Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 243 claims in Columbus Township since 1978, $10.9M in all. The most claims came from Storm (183).
Is Columbus 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 Bartholomew County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Columbus Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Columbus 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 Columbus Township?
By FEMA money that reached Columbus Township, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): 1,974 households applied for aid, $13.6M approved, and $6K to Columbus Township for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 183 paid, $9.8M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Columbus Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Columbus 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.