English’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in English comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 51 claims here since 1979. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about English’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does English flood? Sometimes: 51 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in English, from FEMA’s records.
English isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Crawford County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to English
Disasters that paid out in English itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of English) and its biggest flood years.
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding54 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2005Severe Winter Storms and Flooding1 household applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
- 199036 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 197913 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Crawford County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of English after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the English archive →How exposed is English?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Rated higher than 1,681 of the 1,977 Indiana towns we cover.
English is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What English faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Strong wind
Earthquakes
Get ready for what English 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Disasters here can come any time of year
The month each of Crawford County’s 18 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 English’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of English.
- 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 English.
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.