Photo: IndyTaylor · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Perry Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perry Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #431 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 101 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 stands out about Perry Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Perry 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 Perry Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Perry Township, and Perry Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #431 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Perry Township’s residents live in 26 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, Perry Township has more expected damage per building than 73% of Indiana towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Perry Township has lower expected damage per building than 58% (#169 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $30.9M, is the 349th largest of those 400.
Does Perry Township flood? Yes: 101 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Perry Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Storm34 claims · $868K
- The Central U.S. April Flooding3 claims · $138K
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $12K
Perry 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: Marion County.The storms Perry Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Marion County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Perry Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200834 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Marion County
- 200915 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201113 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Marion County has had 16 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 Perry Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Perry Township archive →Perry Township and its neighbors
Perry Township is 8th of the 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 80 |
| Beech Grove | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Franklin Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Decatur Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Indianapolis | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,638 |
| Greenwood | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Pleasant Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Perry Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 101 |
| Center Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| White River Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
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 Perry 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 Perry Township
Is Perry Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perry Township has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #431 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Perry Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 101 claims in Perry Township since 1979, $1.6M in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (34).
Is Perry 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 Marion County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Perry Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Perry 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 Perry Township?
By flood claims, Storm: 34 paid, $868K.
Is Perry Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Perry Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Perry Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Perry 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.