FEMA puts Pierce Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pierce Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #544 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Pierce 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 Pierce Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pierce Township, and Pierce Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C #544 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pierce 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, Pierce Township has more expected damage per building than 92% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Pierce Township: $750K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pierce Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pierce Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pierce 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: Washington County.The storms Pierce Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pierce Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Washington County has had 17 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.
Pierce Township and its neighbors
Pierce Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Franklin Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Washington Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Polk Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pierce Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Jackson Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Pierce 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 Pierce Township
Is Pierce Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pierce Township has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #544 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pierce 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 Washington County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pierce Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pierce Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pierce Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Pierce Township’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pierce Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pierce 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.