Cairo Skywatch Tower · Photo: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Tippecanoe Township than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tippecanoe Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #201 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 82 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 stands out about Tippecanoe Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tippecanoe 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Tippecanoe Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tippecanoe Township, and Tippecanoe Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hail at 6% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #201 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tippecanoe 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, Tippecanoe Township has less expected damage per building than 66% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Tippecanoe Township: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tippecanoe Township flood? Sometimes: 82 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tippecanoe Township, from FEMA’s records: 21.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Tippecanoe 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: Tippecanoe County.The storms Tippecanoe Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Tippecanoe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Tippecanoe Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200317 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Tippecanoe County
- 200816 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Tippecanoe County
- 20059 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, declared for Tippecanoe County
Tippecanoe County has had 11 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 Tippecanoe Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tippecanoe Township archive →Tippecanoe Township and its neighbors
Tippecanoe Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Lafayette | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Wabash Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Fairfield Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Tippecanoe Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 82 |
| Prairie Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Washington Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Americus | — | 67 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 Tippecanoe 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Tippecanoe Township
Is Tippecanoe Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tippecanoe Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #201 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hail (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tippecanoe Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 82 claims in Tippecanoe Township since 1982, $1.7M in all, or 21.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tippecanoe Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tippecanoe Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Tippecanoe Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Tippecanoe Township’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tippecanoe Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tippecanoe 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.