On FEMA’s figures, Ohio Township faces more hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ohio Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #585 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then earthquakes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1983.
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 Ohio 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 Ohio Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ohio Township, and Ohio Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #585 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ohio Township’s residents live in 4 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, Ohio Township has more expected damage per building than 99% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Ohio Township: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ohio Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ohio Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $2K
- The Central U.S. April Flooding1 claim · $145K
Ohio 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 Ohio Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Spencer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ohio Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19973 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Spencer County
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20061 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Ohio Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ohio Township archive →Ohio Township and its neighbors
Ohio Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
| Luce Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Hammond Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Ohio Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Owensboro | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 120 |
| Rockport | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Ohio 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 Ohio Township
Is Ohio Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ohio Township has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #585 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and earthquakes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ohio Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Ohio Township since 1983, $190K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is Ohio 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 Ohio Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ohio 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 Ohio Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $2K.
Is Ohio Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Ohio Township’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ohio Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ohio 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.