For tornadoes, Harrison Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harrison Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #319 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 1993.
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 Harrison 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 Harrison Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harrison Township, and Harrison Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #319 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Harrison 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, Harrison Township has more expected damage per building than 54% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Harrison Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Harrison Township flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harrison Township, from FEMA’s records: 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Storm6 claims · $221K
- The Central U.S. April Flooding3 claims · $228K
Harrison 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 Harrison Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Bartholomew County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harrison Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20086 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Bartholomew County
- 20055 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, declared for Bartholomew County
- 19933 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 Harrison Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Harrison Township archive →Harrison Township and its neighbors
Harrison Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. 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 |
| Ohio Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbus | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 264 |
| Columbus Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Harrison 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 Harrison Township
Is Harrison Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harrison Township has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #319 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Harrison Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Harrison Township since 1993, $570K in all, or 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (6).
Is Harrison 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 Harrison Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harrison 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 Harrison Township?
By flood claims, Storm: 6 paid, $221K.
Is Harrison Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Harrison Township’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harrison Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harrison 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.