7 flood insurance claims·$33,651 paid·1 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 Fountain 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from summer storms dominate the flood history of Fountain County, Indiana, accounting for 89 flood events and 17 flash flood events over the last 30 years.
Historical events illustrate these recurring hazards. Heavy rainfall of two to nearly six inches on June 7, 2015, caused flooding across Fountain, Warren, and Vermillion counties. Later, during the overnight hours of June 30 to July 1, 2021, slow-moving thunderstorms dropped over three inches of rain, resulting in significant flash flooding in far eastern Fountain County that shut down State Road 32 for several weeks after a culvert overflowed. Floodwaters have also proved fatal; in June 2015, an 18-year-old man died after being swept through the Coal Creek low-head dam during widespread waterway flooding.
FEMA records indicate that National Flood Insurance Program claims have occurred in both Zone A and Zone UNKNOWN. Zone UNKNOWN claims averaged a payout of $3,061 with an average recorded water depth of 12 inches, while Zone A claims averaged a payout of $21,407. Properties near rivers, creeks, and low-lying roadways, as well as homes with unmapped or unknown flood zone designations, should pay the closest attention to these flood and flash flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 12 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 2005, with 2 claims and $1,806 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding and Hurricane Katrina Evacuation.
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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Fountain County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1990, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 30, 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 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 4, 2003 |
| Winter Storm 12/23/98 | Jan 1, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
106 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 89 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2021 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2021 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Jun 13, 2015 | $500 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Jun 8, 2015 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2011 | $20,000 |
| Flood | May 16, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2009 | — |
| Flood | May 14, 2009 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2021. A long lasting and multi faceted storm system moved through central Indiana beginning during the late afternoon hours of June 18th and continued through the evening hours with widespread damaging winds and very large hail before transitioning into a flash flooding event during the overnight hours with significant flash flooding occurring across portions of Owen and Monroe counties. Unfortunately, one person lost…
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2021. During the overnight hours from June 30th to July 1st, a series of slow moving thunderstorms moved across portions of Indiana causing isolated pockets of flash flooding. There were several reports of rainfall amounts over 3 inches with widespread areas of 2-3 inches. The most significant flash flooding occurred in far eastern Fountain County where State Road 32 was shut down for several weeks after a section of t…
Flood · Jun 13, 2015. An 18-year-old Covington man is dead after being swept through the Coal Creek low head dam. According to Indiana Conservation Officers, all area waterways are flooded and dangerous following the recent rain. Officers said they have been responding to people swept away all week due to young people swimming or floating the creeks in an inner tube.||Conservation officers warn that people drown in flooded waterways be…
Flood · Jun 8, 2015. Beginning on the 7th, numerous weather systems brought seemingly unending rains and at times torrential downpours to various portions of the state. The first heavy rains of the month occurred in portions of east central Illinois in addition to west central and northwest Indiana. Rainfall of 2 to nearly 6 inches on the 7th caused flooding across portions of Warren, Fountain, and Vermillion counties.
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 Fountain 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.