Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0For tornadoes, Seymour’s building-damage rate is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Seymour gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #316 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 14 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 Seymour 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 Seymour’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Seymour, and Seymour’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B #316 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Seymour’s residents live in 6 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, Seymour has more expected damage per building than 53% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.5M a year in losses across Seymour: $4.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Seymour flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Seymour, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The March storm3 claims · $13K
- The Storm2 claims · $67K
Seymour isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jackson County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Seymour
Disasters that paid out in Seymour itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Seymour), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2009Severe Winter Storm$52K to the City of Seymour for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding50 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$34K to the City of Seymour for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes89 households applied for aid$295K aid approved$35K to the City of Seymour for repairs
- 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding15 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
- 2004Snow$22K to the City of Seymour for repairs
Jackson County has had 14 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 Seymour after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Seymour archive →Seymour and its neighbors
Seymour is 2nd of the 3 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 |
| Seymour | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Jackson Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Rockford | — | 761 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Seymour 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 Seymour
Is Seymour at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Seymour has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #316 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Seymour flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Seymour since 1982, $203K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from March storm (3).
Is Seymour 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 Jackson County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Seymour?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Seymour’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 Seymour?
By FEMA money that reached Seymour, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): 89 households applied for aid, $295K approved, and $35K to the City of Seymour for repairs. By flood claims, March storm: 3 paid, $13K.
Is Seymour at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Seymour’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Seymour.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Seymour’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.