Rockport’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rockport comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1983. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Rockport’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Rockport?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 80% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.
Rated higher than 1,957 of the 1,977 Indiana towns we cover.
Rockport is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Rockport faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Does Rockport flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rockport, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $2K
Rockport isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Spencer County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rockport
Disasters that paid out in Rockport itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Rockport) and its biggest flood years.
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$22K to the City of Rockport for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and$15K to the City of Rockport for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm$52K to the City of Rockport for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding26 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$23K to the City of Rockport for repairs
- 2004Snow$2K to the City of Rockport for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$14K to the City of Rockport for repairs
Spencer County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Rockport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rockport archive →Get ready for what Rockport actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Rockport and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockport | Very high | inland flooding | 5 |
| Ohio Township | Very high | inland flooding | 8 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in December–February
The month each of Spencer County’s 12 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Rockport’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Rockport.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rockport.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.