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Monrovia, IndianaPhoto: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Monrovia · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Monrovia as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Monrovia gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 75%Tornadoes 13%Earthquakes 5%

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

more than 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Indiana · higher than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 16 declared for Morgan County
By hazard

What Monrovia 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

75%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Hurricanes Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves top 5% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Monrovia’s grade

River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Monrovia, and Monrovia’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Monrovia sits
Monrovia
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Tornadoes13%Earthquakes5%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $572K a year in losses across Monrovia: $410K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Monrovia’s 1,643 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Monrovia flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Monrovia. 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

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

Insurance rates: Morgan County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
8buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Monrovia

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

  1. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes13 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  2. 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MonroviaMorgan County only

Morgan County has had 16 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 Monrovia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Monrovia archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Monrovia 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 Monrovia

Is Monrovia at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Monrovia has higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and tornadoes (13%). 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 Monrovia 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 Morgan County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Monrovia?

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

By FEMA money that reached Monrovia, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): 13 households applied for aid, $22K approved.

Is Monrovia at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Monrovia’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Monrovia.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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