Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Paoli Township than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paoli Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #560 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1982.
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 Paoli 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
Earthquakes
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 Paoli Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Paoli Township, and Paoli Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 12%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C #560 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Paoli 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, Paoli Township has more expected damage per building than 94% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Paoli Township: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Paoli Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Paoli Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The March storm1 claim · $3K
Paoli 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: Orange County.The storms Paoli Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Orange County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Paoli Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19952 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19962 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Orange County
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Orange 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.
Old photos of Paoli Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Paoli Township archive →Paoli Township and its neighbors
Paoli Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Stampers Creek Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Southeast Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| French Lick Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Paoli Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Orangeville Township | — | 659 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Greenfield Township | — | 724 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 Paoli 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Paoli Township
Is Paoli Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paoli Township has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #560 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Paoli Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Paoli Township since 1982, $69K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March storm (1).
Is Paoli 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 Orange County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Paoli Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Paoli 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 Paoli Township?
By flood claims, March storm: 1 paid, $3K.
Is Paoli Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Paoli Township’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Paoli Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Paoli 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.