FEMA puts Highland’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highland gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #567 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then earthquakes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2025.
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 Highland 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
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
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 Highland’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Highland, and Highland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C #567 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Highland’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, Highland has more expected damage per building than 96% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Highland: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Highland flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2025
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highland, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Highland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Vanderburgh County.The storms Highland remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Vanderburgh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Highland itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20251 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Vanderburgh County
Vanderburgh County has had 17 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 Highland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Highland archive →Highland and its neighbors
Highland is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 408 |
| Highland | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Highland 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Highland
Is Highland at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highland has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #567 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and earthquakes (16%). 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 Highland flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Highland since 2025, $69K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Highland 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 Vanderburgh County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Highland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Highland’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Highland at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Highland’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Highland’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.