Natural hazards · German

German, IN natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is German?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in German to be higher than in 9% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding48%Cold waves21%Tornadoes15%Hail7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What German faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

21% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage

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

Hail

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce 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 German flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: St. Joseph County.

Disasters that hit German

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GermanDeclared for St. Joseph County only

St. Joseph County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.

Around German

German and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Warrenmostly inland floodingVery low

Germanmostly inland floodingVery low

Bertrandmostly inland floodingVery low

Claymostly inland floodingVery low

Portagemostly 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. German covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to German’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of German. 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 German total about $2.0M 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.