Natural hazards · Polk

Polk, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Polk comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Polk?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Polk to be higher than in 30% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding67%Tornadoes11%Strong wind5%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Polk faces

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

Inland flooding

67% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Polk flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Monroe County.

Disasters that hit Polk

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PolkDeclared for Monroe County only

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

Around Polk

Polk and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Washingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

Salt Creekmostly inland floodingModerate

Pleasant Runmostly inland floodingModerate

Clear Creekmostly inland floodingLow

Polkmostly inland floodingLow

Salt Creekmostly 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. Polk 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 Polk’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Polk. 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.