Less hazard damage per building is expected in Ross Township than in 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ross Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #217 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 86 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 stands out about Ross Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ross 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
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 Ross Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ross Township, and Ross Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #217 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ross Township’s residents live in 12 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, Ross Township has less expected damage per building than 64% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.4M a year in losses across Ross Township: $9.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ross Township flood? Sometimes: 86 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ross Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike16 claims · $167K
Ross 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: Lake County.The storms Ross Township remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Lake County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ross Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200817 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lake County
- 198113 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19838 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lake County has had 20 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 Ross Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ross Township archive →Ross Township and its neighbors
Ross Township is 8th of the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Center Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Crown Point | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Winfield Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Winfield | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Calumet Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 293 |
| Hobart | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Ross Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 86 |
| Merrillville | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 123 |
| Hobart Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 114 |
| St. John Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 77 |
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 Ross 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.
- 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 Ross Township
Is Ross Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ross Township has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #217 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ross Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 86 claims in Ross Township since 1978, $593K in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (16).
Is Ross 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 Lake County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ross Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ross 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 Ross Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 16 paid, $167K.
Is Ross Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Ross Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ross Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ross 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.