67 flood insurance claims·$1.5M 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 DeKalb 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.
9% of DeKalb County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
46 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 6 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 2009, with 29 claims and $1.1M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from DeKalb County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1982, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| 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 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
8 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 27, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2010 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jan 8, 2008 | $150,000 |
| Flood | Sep 11, 2000 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 1997 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 1996 | $30,000 · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 1996 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 19, 2025. An Mesoscale Convective Vortex moved through the US 30 corridor resulting in flooding rain on its northern edge. The Northern Indiana NWS office recorded 0.72 of rain in just under 15 minutes. Rain totals of 3 to nearly 5 inches was common in La Porte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, De Kalb, and Noble Counties.
Flood · Jun 27, 2015. An unseasonably strong area of low pressure moved through the Ohio Valley on June 26-27 which brought moderate to heavy rain to the area. Between 3 and 6 inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period.
Flash Flood · May 21, 2010. A upper level impulse, abundant moisture and a south-southwesterly flow combined to allow for the development of thunderstorms. While several produced small hail and locally gusty winds, the main effect was torrential rainfall, on the order of 1 to 3 inches per hour. This resulted in flash flooding in several locations across western Defiance county.
Flood · Jan 8, 2008. An unseasonable moist atmosphere and slow moving cold front set the stage for the training of rain and thunderstorms across much of northern Indiana. In addition, a dense snowpack rapidly melted as a result of the warm temperatures and rainfall, resulting in rapid rises on river and streams as well as widespread problems with flooding of low areas and ditches. Rainfall amounts ranging from a couple inches to local…
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 DeKalb 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.