Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Eel Township faces more hazard damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eel Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #563 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1980.
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 Eel 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
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 Eel Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eel Township, and Eel Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
C #563 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Eel Township’s residents live in 9 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, Eel Township has more expected damage per building than 95% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.1M a year in losses across Eel Township: $5.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Eel Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Eel Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Eel 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: Cass County.The storms Eel Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Cass County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Eel Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20037 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Cass County
- 19902 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19982 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cass County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Eel Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Eel Township archive →Eel Township and its neighbors
Eel Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Washington Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Noble Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Miami Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Eel Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Logansport | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Clinton Township | — | 655 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 Eel 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.
- 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 Eel Township
Is Eel Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eel Township has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #563 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Eel Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Eel Township since 1980, $23K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Eel 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 Cass County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Eel Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Eel Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Eel Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Eel Township’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eel Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Eel 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.