Natural hazards · Penn

Penn, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Penn comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1982.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Penn?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Penn to be higher than in 12% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding47%Cold waves26%Tornadoes12%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Penn 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

Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

26% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

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

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce 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 Penn flood?

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

37paid claims since 1982

$298Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19822026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 2 claims, $8K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Penn 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 Penn

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PennDeclared for St. Joseph County only

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

Around Penn

Penn and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Mishawakamostly inland floodingVery low

Madisonmostly inland floodingVery low

Pennmostly inland floodingVery low

Baugomostly inland floodingVery low

Harrismostly inland floodingVery low

South Bendmostly inland floodingVery low

Claymostly inland floodingVery low

Grangermostly inland floodingVery low

Portagemostly inland floodingVery low

Clevelandmostly inland floodingVery low

Centremostly 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. Penn covers 19 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Penn’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Penn. 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 Penn total about $16.2M 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.