TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
Cedar LakeGood morning
Natural hazards · Cedar Lake

Cedar Lake, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cedar Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1983. 10 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Cedar Lake?

17
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cedar Lake to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding36%Cold waves31%Tornadoes26%Everything else8%
By hazard

What Cedar Lake faces

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

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

31% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

26% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Cedar Lake flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cedar Lake, from FEMA’s records.

2paid claims since 1983
$2Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19832026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Cedar Lake 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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1storm safe rooms built
Disasters that hit Cedar Lake

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Cedar Lake itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Cedar Lake.

Brought FEMA money into Cedar LakeDeclared for Lake County only
2026

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

184 households applied for aid $178K aid approved
2023

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes

5 households applied for aid
2018

Severe Storms and Flooding

9 households applied for aid $1K aid approved
2009

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $9K aid approved
2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

32 households applied for aid $33K aid approved $25K to the Town of Cedar Lake for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

5 households applied for aid $9K aid approved
2007

Snow

$14K to the Town of Cedar Lake for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $3K aid approved
2000

Snow

$5K to the Town of Cedar Lake for repairs
1999

In-Winter Storm 12/23/98

$11K to the Town of Cedar Lake for repairs
Lake County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.
Around Cedar Lake

Cedar Lake and the towns around it

Lake Dalecarlia: Low, mostly inland floodingCedar Creek: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Creek: Low, mostly inland floodingHanover: Low, mostly inland floodingCenter: Low, mostly inland floodingLincoln: Very low, mostly inland floodingShelby: Low, mostly inland floodingEagle Creek: Low, mostly inland floodingLake: Low, mostly inland floodingSumava Resorts: Low, mostly inland floodingSt. John: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSt. John: Low, mostly inland floodingCrete: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWinfield: Low, mostly inland floodingRoss: Low, mostly inland floodingCrown Point: Low, mostly inland floodingWinfield: Low, mostly inland floodingMerrillville: Low, mostly inland floodingCedar Lake: Very low, mostly inland flooding Cedar LakeLake DalecarliaCedar CreekWest CreekHanoverCenter
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Lake Dalecarliamostly inland floodingLow
Hanovermostly inland floodingLow
Cedar Creekmostly inland floodingLow
West Creekmostly inland floodingLow
Centermostly inland floodingLow
Cedar Lakemostly inland floodingVery low
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. Cedar Lake covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cedar Lake’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Cedar Lake. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Cedar Lake total about $3.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Cedar Lake, INView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Cedar Lake is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map