Natural hazards · Smith

Smith, IN natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Smith?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Smith to be higher than in 16% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding44%Tornadoes23%Strong wind10%Heat waves6%Cold waves6%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Smith faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 47 years in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 42% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Smith flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Whitley County.

Disasters that hit Smith

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SmithDeclared for Whitley County only

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

Around Smith

Smith and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Greenmostly inland floodingLow

Eel Rivermostly inland floodingVery low

Smithmostly inland floodingVery low

Thorncreekmostly inland floodingVery low

Churubuscomostly inland floodingVery low

Tri-Lakesmostly inland floodingVery low

Unionmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Smith covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Smith’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Smith. 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 Smith total about $1.2M 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.