Natural hazards · Westchester

Westchester, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Westchester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1980.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Westchester?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Westchester to be higher than in 26% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding48%Tornadoes22%Cold waves20%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Westchester faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

20% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 19% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Westchester flood?

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

11paid claims since 1980

$233Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19802026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 1 claim, $106K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Porter County.

Disasters that hit Westchester

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WestchesterDeclared for Porter County only

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

Around Westchester

Westchester and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Libertymostly inland floodingLow

Portagemostly inland floodingLow

Chestertonmostly inland floodingLow

Westchestermostly inland floodingLow

Pinemostly inland floodingLow

Beverly Shoresmostly inland floodingLow

Burns Harbormostly inland floodingVery low

Jacksonmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Westchester covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Westchester’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Westchester. 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 Westchester total about $7.6M 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.