Brazil’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Brazil comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2008. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Brazil’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Brazil flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brazil, from FEMA’s records.
- The Storm3 claims · $212K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $8K
Brazil isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clay County.How exposed is Brazil?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 36% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,218 of the 1,977 Indiana towns we cover.
Brazil covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Brazil faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Strong wind
Cold waves
7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brazil
Disasters that paid out in Brazil itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Brazil) and its biggest flood years.
- 2014Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the City of Brazil for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and$299K to the City of Brazil for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes252 households applied for aid$559K aid approved$43K to the City of Brazil for repairs
- 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 household applied for aid$3K aid approved$19K to the City of Brazil for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding83 households applied for aid$72K aid approved$139K to the City of Brazil for repairs
Show all 7
- 1999In-Winter Storm 12/23/98$5K to the City of Brazil for repairs
Clay County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.
Old photos of Brazil after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brazil archive →Get ready for what Brazil actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Brazil and its neighbors
Brazil ranks 2nd calmest of 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Low | inland flooding | 6 |
| Knightsville | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Van Buren | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in January–February
The month each of Clay County’s 16 declared disasters began, since 1953.
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 Brazil’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Brazil.
- 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. Across Brazil, expected losses total about $2.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brazil.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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.