Westport Covered Bridge · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFor tornadoes, Sandcreek Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sandcreek Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #502 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1998.
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 Sandcreek 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 Sandcreek Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sandcreek Township, and Sandcreek Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #502 of 593 in Indiana; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sandcreek Township’s residents live in 3 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, Sandcreek Township has more expected damage per building than 85% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Sandcreek Township: $927K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sandcreek Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sandcreek Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sandcreek 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: Decatur County.The storms Sandcreek Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Decatur County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sandcreek Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20251 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Decatur County
Decatur County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sandcreek Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sandcreek Township archive →Sandcreek Township and its neighbors
Sandcreek Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Washington Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Sandcreek Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Clay Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Jackson Township | — | 953 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Sand Creek Township | — | 459 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Columbia 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 Sandcreek 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 Sandcreek Township
Is Sandcreek Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sandcreek Township has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #502 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sandcreek Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Sandcreek Township since 1998, $38K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sandcreek 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 Decatur County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sandcreek Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sandcreek Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sandcreek Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Sandcreek Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sandcreek Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sandcreek 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.