Photo: Nyttend · Public domainNoble Township’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Noble Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #349 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1998.
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 Noble 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 Noble Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Noble Township, and Noble Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B #349 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Noble Township’s residents live in 6 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, Noble Township has more expected damage per building than 59% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.6M a year in losses across Noble Township: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Noble Township flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Noble Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Noble 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: Wabash County.The storms Noble Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Wabash County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Noble Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20155 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19984 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20134 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Wabash County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Noble Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Noble Township archive →Noble Township and its neighbors
Noble Township is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paw Paw Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Noble Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Lagro Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Waltz Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Erie Township | — | 627 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Butler Township | — | 547 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Noble 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 Noble Township
Is Noble Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Noble Township has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #349 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Noble Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Noble Township since 1998, $230K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Noble 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 Wabash County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Noble Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Noble Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Noble Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Noble Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Noble Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Noble 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.