Photo: Evking22 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Patoka Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Patoka Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #400 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then earthquakes (27%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.
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 Patoka 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
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 Patoka Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Patoka Township, and Patoka Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #400 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Patoka Township’s residents live in 5 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, Patoka Township has more expected damage per building than 67% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Patoka Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Patoka Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Patoka Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Patoka 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: Dubois County.The storms Patoka Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Dubois County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Patoka Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20173 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Dubois County
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Dubois County has had 13 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 Patoka Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Patoka Township archive →Patoka Township and its neighbors
Patoka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ferdinand Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bainbridge Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Patoka Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Jackson Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Madison Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lockhart Township | — | 807 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 Patoka 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.
- 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 Patoka Township
Is Patoka Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Patoka Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #400 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and earthquakes (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Patoka Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Patoka Township since 1979, $191K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Patoka 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 Dubois County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Patoka Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Patoka Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Patoka Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Patoka Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Patoka Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Patoka 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.