Natural hazards · Howard

Howard, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Howard comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1990.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Howard?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Howard to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding47%Tornadoes21%Cold waves9%Strong wind6%Earthquakes6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Howard faces

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

Inland flooding

47% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 22% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 80 years in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 67% 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 Howard flood?

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

12paid claims since 1990

$341Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19902026

Biggest named events

2026-08-Indiana-Flooding: 1 claim, $17K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Howard 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 Howard

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HowardDeclared for Howard County only

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

Around Howard

Howard and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Libertymostly inland floodingModerate

Taylormostly inland floodingLow

Howardmostly inland floodingLow

Centermostly 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. Howard covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Howard’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Howard. 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 Howard total about $1.7M 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.