Natural hazards · Sterling

Sterling, IN natural hazards

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

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sterling to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding52%Tornadoes23%Strong wind8%Earthquakes5%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Sterling faces

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

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Sterling flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Crawford County.

Disasters that hit Sterling

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SterlingDeclared for Crawford County only

Crawford County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Sterling

Sterling and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Libertymostly inland floodingVery high

Whiskey Runmostly inland floodingVery high

Unionmostly inland floodingVery high

Jenningsmostly inland floodingVery high

Ohiomostly inland floodingVery high

Greenfieldmostly inland floodingHigh

Sterlingmostly inland floodingHigh

Patokamostly inland floodingHigh

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