93 flood insurance claims·$1.0M 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 Hancock 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.
Standard river flooding and flash flooding dominate Hancock County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 21 flood events and 10 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy multi-day rainfall systems and slow-moving summer thunderstorms frequently drive these occurrences. For instance, a low-pressure system in February 2019 brought over 4 inches of rain over a couple of days, producing flash flooding and extensive river and stream flooding. Additionally, a series of storms dropping 2 to 4.5 inches of rain on top of prior accumulation led to widespread flash flooding and major river stages in April 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims concentrated heavily in FEMA Zone A, which accounts for 73 claims with an average recorded water depth of 10 inches and an average payout of $14,060. Meanwhile, Zone X_UNSHADED properties experienced significantly deeper flooding in fewer instances, averaging 31 inches of recorded water depth across 4 claims with an average payout of $46,386. Zone X recorded 9 claims averaging 3 inches of water depth, Zone UNKNOWN recorded 5 claims averaging 2 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 2 claims averaging 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A and Zone X_UNSHADED should pay the most attention to flood risk, given the higher frequency of claims in the former and the severe, deep-water payout averages in the latter.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Hancock County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
79 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 10 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 2013, with 22 claims and $414,664 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Hancock County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 2 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 |
| Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Aug 26, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
31 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 21 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Feb 7, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2017 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 22, 2013 | $50,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2012 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2011 | $500 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 4, 2025. The final round of rain in a stretch of 4 days brought rain amounts of 2-4.5 inches of rain to central Indiana in addition to the 3-5 inches that had fallen. This led to additional widespread flash flooding and exacerbated ongoing creek and river flooding to a point that many main stem rivers ended up reaching major flood stage.
Flash Flood · Jun 13, 2022. Hot and extremely humid surface conditions provided very high instability, while a slowly- advancing warm frontal zone promoted ample vertical wind shear, which led to widespread afternoon thunderstorms along and north of the I-74 corridor. Storms produced isolated flash flooding as well as marginally-severe winds and hail, over both north-central and east-central portions of central Indiana.
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 · Feb 7, 2019. A low pressure system moved into the forecast area bringing plentiful moisture and produced thunderstorms and waves of moderate to heavy rain to central Indiana around February 7th. The storms produced a tornado in a strong shear and low instability environment. Over 4 inches of rain fell in a couple of days in some areas. The heavy rain produced flash flooding, and extensive flooding developed along rivers and st…
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 Hancock 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.