Utica’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Utica comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 133 claims here since 1990. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Utica’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Utica flood? Yes: 133 flood claims since 1990
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Utica, from FEMA’s records.
- The Central U.S. April Flooding39 claims · $1.9M
- The Mid-spring storms7 claims · $89K
Utica isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clark County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Utica
Disasters that paid out in Utica itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Utica) and its biggest flood years.
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$85K to the Town of Utica for repairs40 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding27 households applied for aid$85K aid approved$33K to the Town of Utica for repairs43 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and$54K to the Town of Utica for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$23K to the Town of Utica for repairs
- 199735 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Clark County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Utica after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Utica archive →How exposed is Utica?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 42% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Rated higher than 1,025 of the 1,977 Indiana towns we cover.
Utica is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Utica faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Strong wind
Earthquakes
Get ready for what Utica actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Utica and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffersonville | Moderate | inland flooding | 144 |
| Utica | Moderate | inland flooding | 133 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in December–February
The month each of Clark County’s 17 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Utica’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Utica.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Utica.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.