Scipio Covered Bridge · Photo: Jacob Hilt · CC BY-SA 4.0Geneva Township’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Geneva Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #497 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2009.
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 Geneva 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 Geneva Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Geneva Township, and Geneva Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #497 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Geneva Township’s residents live in 2 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, Geneva Township has more expected damage per building than 84% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Geneva Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Geneva Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Geneva Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Geneva 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: Jennings County.The storms Geneva Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Jennings County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Geneva Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20091 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, declared for Jennings County
Jennings County has had 15 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 Geneva Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Geneva Township archive →Geneva Township and its neighbors
Geneva Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Center Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Country Squire Lakes | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Geneva Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sand Creek Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Rock Creek Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sand Creek Township | — | 459 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 Geneva 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 Geneva Township
Is Geneva Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Geneva Township has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #497 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Geneva Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Geneva Township since 2009, $7K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Geneva 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 Jennings County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Geneva Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Geneva Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Geneva Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Geneva Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Geneva Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Geneva 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.