Natural hazards · North

North, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in North comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1,317 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is North?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in North to be higher than in 49% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding52%Cold waves22%Tornadoes20%Everything else7%

By hazard

What North faces

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

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

22% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

20% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 North flood?

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

1,317paid claims since 1979

$29.1Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 401 claims, $17.9M

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Lake County.

Disasters that hit North

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into NorthDeclared for Lake County only

Lake County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around North

North and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Thorntonmostly inland floodingVery high

Munstermostly inland floodingHigh

Lansingmostly inland floodingHigh

Highlandmostly inland floodingHigh

Northmostly inland floodingModerate

Chicagomostly inland floodingModerate

East Chicagomostly inland floodingModerate

St. Johnmostly inland floodingModerate

Whitingmostly inland floodingLow

Hammondmostly inland floodingLow

Griffithmostly inland floodingLow

Calumetmostly inland floodingLow

Garymostly 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. North covers 42 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to North’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of North. 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 North total about $67.4M 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.