FEMA puts Pigeon Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 67% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pigeon Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #534 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (45%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 77 claims here since 1978.
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 Pigeon Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Pigeon Township’s grade
Earthquakes are 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pigeon Township, and Pigeon Township’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C #534 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pigeon Township’s residents live in 15 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, Pigeon Township has more expected damage per building than 90% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $19.0M a year in losses across Pigeon Township: $13.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pigeon Township flood? Sometimes: 77 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pigeon Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $13K
Pigeon 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: Vanderburgh County.The storms Pigeon Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Vanderburgh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pigeon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198021 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19818 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19836 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Vanderburgh 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.
Old photos of Pigeon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pigeon Township archive →Pigeon Township and its neighbors
Pigeon Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigeon Township | Cmore damage than 67% | earthquakes | 77 |
| Knight Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 169 |
| Evansville | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 408 |
| Perry Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Center Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
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 Pigeon 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Pigeon Township
Is Pigeon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pigeon Township has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #534 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (45%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pigeon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 77 claims in Pigeon Township since 1978, $634K in all, or 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (2).
Is Pigeon 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 Vanderburgh County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pigeon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pigeon 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 Pigeon Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 2 paid, $13K.
Is Pigeon Township at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Pigeon Township’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pigeon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pigeon 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.