Natural hazards · Steele

Steele, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Steele comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Steele?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Steele to be higher than in 53% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding53%Earthquakes20%Tornadoes9%Drought8%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Steele faces

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

Inland flooding

53% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

20% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Drought

8% of expected damage

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Steele flood?

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

2paid claims since 1978

$10Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 1 claim, $3K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Daviess County.

Disasters that hit Steele

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SteeleDeclared for Daviess County only

Daviess County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Steele

Steele and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Steelemostly inland floodingModerate

Washingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Bogardmostly inland floodingModerate

Vigomostly inland floodingModerate

Elmoremostly 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. Steele covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Steele’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Steele. 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 Steele total about $2.1M 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.