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Natural hazards in Beaver Dam · FEMA

Beaver Dam is calmer than 82% of U.S. communities

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Beaver Dam comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community.

18Very low riskLowerHigherExpected storm and flood damage, vs. U.S. communities
Overall risk
Very low
higher than 18% of U.S. places
Main hazard
Inland flooding
35% of expected damage
Flood claims
0
none on record
Disasters paid out here
0
of 16 declared for Kosciusko County

What stands out about Beaver Dam’s weather risks

Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Expected damage

How exposed is Beaver Dam?

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Where Beaver Dam sits
Beaver Dam
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Calmer than 1,767 of the 1,977 Indiana towns we cover.

Beaver Dam is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

What drives the damage
Inland flooding35%Tornadoes26%Cold waves20%Strong wind8%Everything else12%
Flood insurance claims

Does Beaver Dam flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Beaver Dam. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Beaver Dam isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Kosciusko County.
By hazard

What Beaver Dam faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

35%of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

26%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 23 years in the area

Cold waves

20%of expected damage
Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Lower here
🌀 Hurricanes🧊 Hail🧊 Ice storms❄️ Winter weather🌡️ Heat waves🔥 Wildfire🏚️ Earthquakes⛰️ Landslides⚡ Lightning🌵 Drought
Not a risk here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Storms remembered

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Kosciusko County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Beaver Dam itself in FEMA’s records.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Beaver DamKosciusko County only

Kosciusko County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Be ready

Get ready for what Beaver Dam actually faces

A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Cold snaps
  • Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
  • Know where your water shutoff is.
  • Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Storm season

Most disasters here begin in December–February

The month each of Kosciusko County’s 16 declared disasters began, since 1953.

5J
3F
1M
1A
1M
J
1J
2A
S
O
N
2D
Severe stormsWinter stormsFloodsHurricanesTornadoes
How to read this page

What these numbers can and can’t tell you

  • An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
  • Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
  • Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Beaver Dam’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Beaver Dam.
  • It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beaver Dam.

Town Square →
Weigh in
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.

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