Natural hazards · Brown

Brown, IN natural hazards

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

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Brown?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Brown to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding45%Tornadoes26%Strong wind10%Cold waves7%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Brown faces

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

Inland flooding

45% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

26% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Brown flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brown.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Brown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Ripley County.

Disasters that hit Brown

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BrownDeclared for Ripley County only

Ripley County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Brown

Brown and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Washingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

Shelbymostly inland floodingHigh

Pikemostly inland floodingHigh

Brownmostly inland floodingModerate

Shelbymostly inland floodingModerate

Pleasantmostly inland floodingModerate

Caesar Creekmostly inland floodingLow

Claymostly inland floodingLow

Johnsonmostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Brown is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Brown’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Brown. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.