Natural hazards · Spencer

Spencer, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Spencer 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 Spencer?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Spencer to be higher than in 35% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding56%Tornadoes17%Strong wind10%Cold waves7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Spencer 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

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 24 years in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Spencer flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: DeKalb County.

Disasters that hit Spencer

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SpencerDeclared for DeKalb County only

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

Around Spencer

Spencer and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Spencermostly inland floodingLow

Concordmostly inland floodingLow

St. Joemostly inland floodingLow

Newvillemostly inland floodingLow

Jacksonmostly inland floodingLow

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