FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Taylor Township than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taylor Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #186 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1990.
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 Taylor 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
Hail
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 Taylor Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Taylor Township, and Taylor Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #186 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Taylor Township’s residents live in 5 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, Taylor Township has less expected damage per building than 69% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Taylor Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Taylor Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1990
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Taylor Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Taylor 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: Howard County.The storms Taylor Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Howard County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Taylor Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20133 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Howard County
- 19901 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Howard County
Howard County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Taylor Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Taylor Township archive →Taylor Township and its neighbors
Taylor Township is 3rd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 288 |
| Howard Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Taylor Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Harrison Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Liberty Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Liberty Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Union Township | B−less damage than 54% | 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 Taylor 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Taylor Township
Is Taylor Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taylor Township has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #186 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Taylor Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Taylor Township since 1990, $148K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Taylor 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 Howard County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Taylor Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Taylor Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Taylor Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Taylor Township’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Taylor Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Taylor 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.