La Porte is calmer than 80% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in La Porte comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1983. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about La Porte’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is La Porte?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 20% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.
Calmer than 1,703 of the 1,977 Indiana towns we cover.
La Porte covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
What La Porte faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Tornadoes
Does La Porte flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in La Porte, from FEMA’s records.
La Porte isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: LaPorte County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to La Porte
Disasters that paid out in La Porte itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of La Porte) and its biggest flood years.
- 2026Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding446 households applied for aid$614K aid approved
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
- 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding95 households applied for aid$191K aid approved
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding455 households applied for aid$598K aid approved
- 2007Snow$13K to the City of La Porte for repairs
- 2000Snow$16K to the City of La Porte for repairs
Show all 7
- 1999In-Winter Storm 12/23/98$22K to the City of La Porte for repairs
LaPorte County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of La Porte after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the La Porte archive →Get ready for what La Porte 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in January–March
The month each of LaPorte County’s 15 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 La Porte’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of La Porte.
- 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. Across La Porte, expected losses total about $5.1M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Porte.
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.