Natural hazards · Lincoln

Lincoln, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lincoln comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1998.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lincoln?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lincoln to be higher than in 48% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding57%Tornadoes16%Cold waves9%Earthquakes5%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Lincoln faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Lincoln flood?

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

4paid claims since 1998

$66Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19982026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Hendricks County.

Disasters that hit Lincoln

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into LincolnDeclared for Hendricks County only

Hendricks County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Lincoln

Lincoln and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Brownmostly inland floodingHigh

Middlemostly inland floodingModerate

Lincolnmostly inland floodingModerate

Brownsburgmostly inland floodingModerate

Washingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Avonmostly inland floodingLow

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. Lincoln covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lincoln’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lincoln. 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 Lincoln total about $11.6M 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.