Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Sand Creek Township than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sand Creek Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1981.
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 Sand Creek 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 Sand Creek Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sand Creek Township, and Sand Creek Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sand Creek Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $831K a year in losses across Sand Creek Township: $590K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sand Creek Township flood? Sometimes: 30 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sand Creek Township, from FEMA’s records: 32.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Storm5 claims · $63K
- The March storm2 claims · $24K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $3K
Sand Creek 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: Bartholomew County.The storms Sand Creek Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Bartholomew County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sand Creek Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19989 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20088 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Bartholomew County
- 20153 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bartholomew County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sand Creek Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sand Creek Township archive →Sand Creek Township and its neighbors
Sand Creek Township is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redding Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Wayne Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Geneva Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sand Creek Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Rock Creek Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbus Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Sand Creek 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 Sand Creek Township
Is Sand Creek Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sand Creek Township has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sand Creek Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 30 claims in Sand Creek Township since 1981, $609K in all, or 32.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (5).
Is Sand Creek 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 Bartholomew County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sand Creek Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sand Creek 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 Sand Creek Township?
By flood claims, Storm: 5 paid, $63K.
Is Sand Creek Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Sand Creek Township’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sand Creek Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sand Creek 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.