Floral Hall · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFor tornadoes, Wayne Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wayne Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #392 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1985.
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 Wayne 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 Wayne Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wayne Township, and Wayne Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #392 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wayne Township’s residents live in 4 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, Wayne Township has more expected damage per building than 66% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Wayne Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wayne Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wayne Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wayne 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: Jay County.The storms Wayne Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Jay County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wayne Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201113 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20156 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19852 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Jay County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Wayne Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wayne Township archive →Wayne Township and its neighbors
Wayne Township is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bearcreek Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Wayne Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Greene Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Noble Township | — | 488 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Pike Township | — | 737 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 Wayne 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 Wayne Township
Is Wayne Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wayne Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #392 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wayne Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Wayne Township since 1985, $405K in all, or 6.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wayne 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 Jay County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wayne Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wayne Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Wayne Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Wayne Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wayne Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wayne 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.