University of Notre Dame: Main and South Quadrangles · Photo: Michael Fernandes · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Portage Township than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portage Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #21 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 42 claims here since 1982.
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 Portage Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Portage 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
Hail
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 Portage Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Portage Township, and Portage Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #21 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Portage Township’s residents live in 38 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, Portage Township has less expected damage per building than 97% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $19.1M a year in losses across Portage Township: $10.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Portage Township flood? Sometimes: 42 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Portage Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Portage 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: St. Joseph County.The storms Portage Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for St. Joseph County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Portage Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198214 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201812 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for St. Joseph County
- 20165 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
St. Joseph County has had 14 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 Portage Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Portage Township archive →Portage Township and its neighbors
Portage Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Clay Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Centre Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Portage Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| German Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| South Bend | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Greene Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Warren Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Mishawaka | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Penn Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
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 Portage 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Portage Township
Is Portage Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portage Township has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #21 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Portage Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 42 claims in Portage Township since 1982, $456K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Portage 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 St. Joseph County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Portage Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Portage Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Portage Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Portage Township’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Portage Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Portage 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.