Natural hazards · Rutherford

Rutherford, IN natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Rutherford?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Rutherford to be higher than in 72% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Tornadoes11%Strong wind7%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Rutherford faces

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

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% 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 Rutherford flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Martin County.

Disasters that hit Rutherford

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into RutherfordDeclared for Martin County only

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

Around Rutherford

Rutherford and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Rutherfordmostly inland floodingHigh

Centermostly inland floodingHigh

Lost Rivermostly inland floodingHigh

Perrymostly inland floodingModerate

Harbisonmostly inland floodingModerate

Reevemostly inland floodingModerate

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