Helton-Mayo Farm · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Shawswick Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shawswick Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #270 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1979.
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 Shawswick 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 Shawswick Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shawswick Township, and Shawswick Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B #270 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Shawswick Township’s residents live in 10 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, Shawswick Township has less expected damage per building than 55% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.1M a year in losses across Shawswick Township: $4.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shawswick Township flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shawswick Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Shawswick 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: Lawrence County.The storms Shawswick Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lawrence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Shawswick Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19922 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flash Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
- 19791 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lawrence County has had 18 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 Shawswick Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shawswick Township archive →Shawswick Township and its neighbors
Shawswick Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawswick Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Marion Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Guthrie Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Pleasant Run Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Marshall Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Indian Creek Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Shawswick 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 Shawswick Township
Is Shawswick Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shawswick Township has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #270 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Shawswick Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Shawswick Township since 1979, $269K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Shawswick 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 Lawrence County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shawswick Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shawswick Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Shawswick Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Shawswick Township’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shawswick Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shawswick 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.