Shelby Township’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shelby Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1993.
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 Shelby 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 Shelby Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shelby Township, and Shelby Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shelby Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $660K a year in losses across Shelby Township: $479K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shelby Township flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shelby Township, from FEMA’s records: 14.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Storm2 claims · $26K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $6K
Shelby 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: Shelby County.The storms Shelby Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Shelby County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Shelby Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20114 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20083 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Shelby County
- 19931 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Shelby 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 Shelby Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shelby Township archive →Shelby Township and its neighbors
Shelby Township is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addison Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Shelbyville | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Hendricks Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Liberty Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Shelby Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Washington Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Shelby 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 Shelby Township
Is Shelby Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shelby Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and tornadoes (20%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Shelby Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Shelby Township since 1993, $270K in all, or 14.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (2).
Is Shelby 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 Shelby County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shelby Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shelby 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 Shelby Township?
By flood claims, Storm: 2 paid, $26K.
Is Shelby Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Shelby Township’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shelby Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shelby 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.