Natural hazards · Clay

Clay, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Clay comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2003.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Clay?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Clay to be higher than in 16% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding41%Tornadoes22%Cold waves11%Strong wind7%Earthquakes5%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Clay faces

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

Inland flooding

41% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 16% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 53 years in the area

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 57% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Clay flood?

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

3paid claims since 2003

$24Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20032026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Howard County.

Disasters that hit Clay

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ClayDeclared for Howard County only

Howard County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Clay

Clay and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Jacksonmostly inland floodingModerate

Monroemostly inland floodingModerate

Ervinmostly inland floodingModerate

Harrisonmostly inland floodingModerate

Kokomomostly inland floodingLow

Centermostly inland floodingLow

Howardmostly inland floodingLow

Claymostly 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. Clay covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Clay’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Clay. 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 Clay total about $1.2M 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.