Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Winfield Township than in 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winfield Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #140 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Winfield 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
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 Winfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Winfield Township, and Winfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #140 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Winfield Township’s residents live in 2 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, Winfield Township has less expected damage per building than 77% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Winfield Township: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Winfield Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Winfield Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Winfield 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: Lake County.The storms Winfield Township remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Lake County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Winfield Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Lake County has had 20 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.
Winfield Township and its neighbors
Winfield Township is 4th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Center Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Boone Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Winfield Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Winfield | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Eagle Creek Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ross Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 86 |
| Merrillville | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 123 |
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 Winfield 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.
- 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 Winfield Township
Is Winfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winfield Township has lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #140 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Winfield 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 Lake County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Winfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winfield Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Winfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Winfield Township’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winfield 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.