Natural hazards · St. Paul

St. Paul, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Paul comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. Paul?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. Paul to be higher than in 62% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding55%Tornadoes19%Cold waves6%Strong wind6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What St. Paul faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 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 St. Paul flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Decatur County.

Disasters that hit St. Paul

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in St. Paul itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of St. Paul.

Brought FEMA money into St. PaulDeclared for Decatur County only

2026

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

2008

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

29 households applied for aid $62K aid approved

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

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. St. Paul 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 St. Paul’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of St. Paul. 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.