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Geneva, IndianaPhoto: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Geneva · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Geneva 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, Geneva gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 76%Tornadoes 15%Earthquakes 4%

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

less than 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Indiana · lower than 53% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1982 · $6K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 14 declared for Adams County
By hazard

What Geneva 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

76%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Lightning Ice storms Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves top 4% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Geneva’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Geneva, and Geneva’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Geneva sits
Geneva
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Geneva’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Tornadoes15%Earthquakes4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $423K a year in losses across Geneva: $298K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Geneva’s 1,257 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Jefferson township (1,363 residents) and Hartford township (981 residents) and Linn Grove CDP (140 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Geneva flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Geneva, from FEMA’s records: 4.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198219901993
19822026
3
paid claims since 1982
$6K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Geneva isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Adams County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Geneva

Disasters that paid out in Geneva itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Geneva), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes3 households applied for aid$9K to the Town of Geneva for repairs
  2. 2007Snow$4K to the Town of Geneva for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$12K to the Town of Geneva for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$26K to the Town of Geneva for repairs
  5. 1999In-winter Storm 12/23/98$2K to the Town of Geneva for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GenevaAdams County only

Adams County has had 14 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Geneva after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Geneva archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Geneva faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Geneva

Is Geneva at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Geneva has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (15%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Geneva flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Geneva since 1982, $6K in all, or 4.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Geneva 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 Adams County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Geneva?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Geneva’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 Geneva?

By FEMA money that reached Geneva, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 15 households applied for aid, $29K approved, and $26K to the Town of Geneva for repairs.

Is Geneva at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Geneva’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Geneva.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Geneva’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.