Pugh Ford Bridge · Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 3.0German Township’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, German Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #406 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998.
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 German 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 German Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in German Township, and German Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #406 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
German 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, German Township has more expected damage per building than 68% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across German Township: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does German Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in German Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Storm2 claims · $77K
German 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.The storms German Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Bartholomew County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching German Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20153 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20082 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Bartholomew County
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county 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 German Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the German Township archive →German Township and its neighbors
German Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| German Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Blue River Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Flat Rock Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbus | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 264 |
| Jackson Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbus Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Pleasant View Village | — | 625 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 German 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 German Township
Is German Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, German Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #406 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does German Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in German Township since 1998, $155K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (2).
Is German 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 German Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for German 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 German Township?
By flood claims, Storm: 2 paid, $77K.
Is German Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and German Township’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in German Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where German 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.