53 flood insurance claims·$838,845 paid·4 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 Franklin 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.
Franklin County faces a dual flood risk driven evenly by both general river flooding and acute flash flooding. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 40 flood events resulting in 2 deaths, alongside 37 flash flood events causing 8 deaths. Heavy rainfall from localized showers and thunderstorms regularly triggers these hazards, as seen during storms in May 2024 and July 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program claims reflect risk across multiple zones. Properties in high-risk Zone A account for 31 claims with an average payout of $19,092 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Meanwhile, moderate- to low-risk Zone X properties have filed 20 claims with an average payout of $24,381 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Two additional claims with an unknown zone recorded an average payout of $2,176 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners and real estate agents situated in designated high-risk Zone A areas should pay the closest attention to these hazards, given the higher frequency of claims and deeper average water accumulation. However, residents in Zone X properties must also remain aware, as severe thunderstorms frequently produce significant out-of-zone payout claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Franklin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
31 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 4 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 2026, with 8 claims and $101,959 paid.
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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Franklin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 30, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 12, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 30, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
77 since 1996: 37 flash floods and 40 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 7, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2023 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2023 | $200,000 · 2 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 23, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 5, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall late in the evening and into the overnight hours.
Flash Flood · May 7, 2024. Showers and thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and evening hours ahead of a low pressure system moving through the Ohio Valley.
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2023. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the evening hours in a warm and humid airmass. The thunderstorms persisted into the overnight hours.
Flood · Mar 25, 2023. A strong low pressure system moving through the Great Lakes region produced heavy rainfall and localized flooding.
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 Franklin 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.