Natural hazards · Petroleum

Petroleum, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Petroleum comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Petroleum?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Petroleum to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding55%Tornadoes21%Strong wind7%Cold waves5%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Petroleum faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Petroleum flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Petroleum.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Wells County.

Disasters that hit Petroleum

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Petroleum itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Petroleum.

Brought FEMA money into PetroleumDeclared for Wells County only

2005

Severe Winter Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $2K aid approved

2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid

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

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. Petroleum is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Petroleum’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Petroleum. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.