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Rome City, IndianaPhoto: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rome City · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Rome City faces less hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rome City gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 67%Tornadoes 19%Hail 6%

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

less than 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Indiana · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 1982 · $30K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 13 declared for Noble County
By hazard

What Rome City 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

67%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Rome City’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Rome City’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rome City, and Rome City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Rome City sits
Rome City
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Rome City’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Tornadoes19%Hail6%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $375K a year in losses across Rome City: $266K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Rome City’s 1,322 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Brimfield CDP (110 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Rome City flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rome City, from FEMA’s records: 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 3 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 3 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198219851990
19822026
10
paid claims since 1982
$30K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Rome City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Noble County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rome City

Disasters that paid out in Rome City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Rome City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Town of Rome City for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$1K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Rome CityNoble County only

Noble County has had 13 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Rome City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rome City archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Rome City faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Rome City

Is Rome City at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rome City has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and tornadoes (19%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Rome City flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Rome City since 1982, $30K in all, or 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Rome City 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 Noble County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rome City?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rome City’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 Rome City?

By FEMA money that reached Rome City, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2014): $4K to the Town of Rome City for repairs.

Is Rome City at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Rome City’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rome City.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rome City’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.