501 flood insurance claims·$15.1M paid·2 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Carroll County, Indiana. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flooding in Carroll County is characterized primarily by standard floods and severe flash flooding resulting from summer thunderstorms. NOAA storm records document multiple flash flood events in recent years, including a storm that caused flash flooding and roof damage in July 2021, and a band of thunderstorms that produced flash flooding on May 28, 2019. Additional multi-day storm systems, such as the July 11, 2017 event, generated heavy rainfall and flooding from repeated thunderstorm rounds.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that historical flood damage is heavily concentrated in high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A account for the vast majority of claims with 395 filed, resulting in an average payout of $33,138 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. However, moderate- and low-risk areas also experience significant impacts; Zone X properties recorded 86 claims with an average payout of $38,688 and an average water depth of 13 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded an average water depth of 29 inches across 6 claims.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A due to the sheer volume of claims, while also noting that properties in Zone X face substantial flood risk and sizable average payouts when inundation occurs.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Carroll County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
402 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 11 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2008, with 174 claims and $7.8M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
11 NOAA storm reports from Carroll County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 8, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 7, 2008 |
| Snow | Feb 12, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
50 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 32 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2017 | $250 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2017 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Aug 21, 2014 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2013 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2013 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2011 | $3,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2021. During the late afternoon and early evening hours of July 15th, scattered thunderstorms associated with a diffuse cold front moved across central Indiana. Many of the storms remained sub-severe, but two of the storms caused isolated pockets of damaging wind gusts across Hendricks and Owen counties. Another storm caused roof damage and flash flooding in Carroll county.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2019. A band of showers and thunderstorms developed and pushed across northern portions of central Indiana during the late afternoon and evening of May the 28th. These storms produced large hail, damaging thunderstorms wind gusts, and flash flooding.
Flood · Jun 23, 2017. The second significant rain event of June occurred on the 23rd. The combination of a cold front and the moisture from a tropical storm dumped heavy rains of 2 to more than 5 inches in portions of north central, east central and southeast Indiana. This lead to flooding across central and northern portions of central Indiana.
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2017. Northwest flow in the upper atmosphere allowed multiple waves to move across the area. The atmosphere had a high moisture content and was unstable. The waves interacted with the moisture and instability to produce the severe weather and heavy rain. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms moved over the same locations, creating the flooding problems. Several rounds of thunderstorms, from July 10th through the 13th, brough…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Carroll County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.