Natural hazards · Root

Root, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Root comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1989.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Root?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Root to be higher than in 38% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding56%Tornadoes19%Strong wind9%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Root faces

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

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 35 years in the area

Strong wind

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Root flood?

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

5paid claims since 1989

$29Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19892026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Adams County.

Disasters that hit Root

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into RootDeclared for Adams County only

Adams County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.

Around Root

Root and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Washingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Preblemostly inland floodingLow

Unionmostly inland floodingLow

Rootmostly inland floodingLow

Madisonmostly 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. Root covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Root’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Root. 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 Root total about $3.4M 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.