Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Koontz Lake than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Koontz Lake gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Koontz Lake 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
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 Koontz Lake’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Koontz Lake, and Koontz Lake’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 18% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Koontz Lake’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $570K a year in losses across Koontz Lake: $271K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Koontz Lake flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Koontz Lake. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Koontz Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Starke County.The storms Koontz Lake remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Starke County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Koontz Lake itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Starke County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Koontz Lake and its neighbors
Koontz Lake is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Koontz Lake | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Oregon Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Koontz Lake 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.
- 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 Koontz Lake
Is Koontz Lake at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Koontz Lake has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Koontz Lake 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 Starke County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Koontz Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Koontz Lake’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Koontz Lake at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Koontz Lake’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Koontz Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Koontz Lake’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.