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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kingsford Heights · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Kingsford Heights faces less hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kingsford Heights gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then tornadoes (23%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 61%Tornadoes 23%Earthquakes 7%

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 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in Indiana · lower than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 15 declared for LaPorte County
By hazard

What Kingsford Heights 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

61%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Heat waves Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 24% of Kingsford Heights’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Kingsford Heights’ grade

River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kingsford Heights, and Kingsford Heights’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 23% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Kingsford Heights sits
Kingsford Heights
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding61%Tornadoes23%Earthquakes7%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $514K a year in losses across Kingsford Heights: $303K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kingsford Heights’ 1,335 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Union township (2,281 residents) and Washington township (1,211 residents) and Kingsbury town (190 residents) and South Center CDP (130 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 Kingsford Heights flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kingsford Heights. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: LaPorte County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kingsford Heights

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding36 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2007Snow$3K to the Town of Kingsford Heights for repairs
  5. 2000Snow$1K to the Town of Kingsford Heights for repairs
  6. 1999In-winter Storm 12/23/98$2K to the Town of Kingsford Heights for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Kingsford HeightsLaPorte County only

LaPorte 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Kingsford Heights archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Kingsford Heights 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Kingsford Heights

Is Kingsford Heights at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kingsford Heights has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and tornadoes (23%). 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.

Is Kingsford Heights 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 LaPorte County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kingsford Heights?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kingsford Heights, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2026): 36 households applied for aid, $7K approved.

Is Kingsford Heights at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Kingsford Heights’ rate for it is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kingsford Heights.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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