Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Luce Township than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Luce Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then earthquakes (25%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1997.
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 Luce 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
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 Luce Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Luce Township, and Luce Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Luce Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Luce Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Luce Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Luce Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Central U.S. April Flooding3 claims · $27K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $2K
Luce 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: Spencer County.The storms Luce Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Spencer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Luce Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20253 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and, declared for Spencer County
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Spencer County
Spencer County has had 12 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 Luce Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Luce Township archive →Luce Township and its neighbors
Luce Township is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Boon Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Anderson Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Luce Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Ohio Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 Luce 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.
- 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 Luce Township
Is Luce Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Luce Township has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and earthquakes (25%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Luce Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Luce Township since 1997, $52K in all, or 6.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Central U.S. April Flooding (3).
Is Luce 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 Spencer County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Luce Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Luce 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 Luce Township?
By flood claims, Central U.S. April Flooding: 3 paid, $27K.
Is Luce Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Luce Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Luce Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Luce 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.