Photo: Jimmy Baikovicius · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Pike Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pike Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #396 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 20 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 Pike 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 Pike Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pike Township, and Pike Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #396 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pike Township’s residents live in 18 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, Pike Township has more expected damage per building than 67% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $26.5M a year in losses across Pike Township: $20.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pike Township flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pike Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pike 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 Pike Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Marion County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pike Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19796 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20133 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19782 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 Pike Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pike Township archive →Pike Township and its neighbors
Pike 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zionsville | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Indianapolis | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,638 |
| Washington Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 903 |
| Pike Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Wayne Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 137 |
| Brown Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Pike 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 Pike Township
Is Pike Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pike Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #396 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pike Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Pike Township since 1978, $80K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Pike 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 Pike Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pike Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pike Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Pike Township’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pike Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pike 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.