Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Lancaster Township than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #251 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2003.
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 Lancaster 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
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 Lancaster Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lancaster Township, and Lancaster Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B #251 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lancaster Township’s residents live in 3 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, Lancaster Township has less expected damage per building than 58% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Lancaster Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lancaster Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2003
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lancaster Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lancaster 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: Wells County.The storms Lancaster Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Wells County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lancaster Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Wells County
Wells County has had 12 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.
Old photos of Lancaster Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lancaster Township archive →Lancaster Township and its neighbors
Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster Township | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Jefferson Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Preble Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Harrison Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Rockcreek Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Kirkland 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 Lancaster 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.
- 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 Lancaster Township
Is Lancaster Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster Township has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #251 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lancaster Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Lancaster Township since 2003, $41K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Lancaster 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 Wells County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lancaster Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lancaster Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lancaster Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Lancaster Township’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lancaster Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lancaster 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.