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NewAlbanyFromOhioRiverPhoto: Mikehallna · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in New Albany · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, New Albany faces more hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Albany gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #541 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 108 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 77%Tornadoes 13%Earthquakes 6%

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 68%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#541 of 593 in Indiana
Hazard risk
C#541 of 593
in Indiana · higher than 68% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
108
paid since 1978 · $2.2M
Flooded more than once
12
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
8
of 14 declared for Floyd County

What stands out about New Albany’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

108 paid flood claims since 1978$2.2M in all; 12 properties flooded more than once.Remembers 200922 flood claims were paid for 2009 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What New Albany 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

77%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Hail Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves top 4% 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 13% of New Albany’s 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 New Albany’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Albany, and New Albany’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 13%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where New Albany sits
New Albany
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #541 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).

New Albany’s residents live in 15 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Tornadoes13%Earthquakes6%Everything else4%

The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, New Albany has more expected damage per building than 91% of Indiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.2M a year in losses across New Albany: $10.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 15 census tracts by where New Albany’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does New Albany flood? Yes: 108 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Albany, from FEMA’s records: 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 5 claims1979: 2 claims1980: 2 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 5 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 3 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 2 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 18 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 1 claim2006: 20 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 22 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 1 claim2016: 1 claim2017: 5 claims2018: 5 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 4 claims2026: 0 claims199720062009
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Central U.S. April Flooding4 claims · $188K
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $4K
108
paid claims since 1978
$2.2M
paid to owners
12
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Floyd County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Albany

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$80K to the City of New Albany for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding67 households applied for aid$136K aid approved$46K to the City of New Albany for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and$194K to the City of New Albany for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storm$426K to the City of New Albany for repairs22 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding683 households applied for aid$41K aid approved$683K to the City of New Albany for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$651 aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 8
  1. 2004Snow$29K to the City of New Albany for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in New AlbanyFloyd County only

Floyd County has had 14 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 New Albany after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the New Albany archive →
Next door

New Albany and its neighbors

New Albany is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

New Albany Township: hazard risk C+Jeffersonville Township: hazard risk C+Louisville: hazard risk C−Clarksville: hazard risk C+New Albany TownshipJeffersonville TownshipLouisvilleClarksvilleNew Albany
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ClarksvilleC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding39
New Albany TownshipC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding119
Jeffersonville TownshipC+more damage than 65%river and rain flooding275
New AlbanyCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding108
LouisvilleC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what New Albany 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 ↗
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 New Albany

Is New Albany at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Albany has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #541 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does New Albany flood?

Flood insurance has paid 108 claims in New Albany since 1978, $2.2M in all, or 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Central U.S. April Flooding (4).

Is New Albany 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 Floyd County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in New Albany?

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

By FEMA money that reached New Albany, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 683 households applied for aid, $41K approved, and $683K to the City of New Albany for repairs. By flood claims, Central U.S. April Flooding: 4 paid, $188K.

Is New Albany at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and New Albany’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Albany.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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