391 flood insurance claims·$4.3M 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 Kosciusko 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.
11% of Kosciusko County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
294 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 2009, with 97 claims and $2.0M 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Kosciusko 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 And Flooding | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 5, 2014 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
14 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 2, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2018 | $56,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 5, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Jul 18, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 2, 2025. The atmosphere was primed for severe weather during the afternoon and evening hours of April 2nd. 0-1 km SRH values of 300 to 500 m2/s2, 60 to 70 kts of shear and MLCAPE of around 1000 J/KG set the stage for numerous thunderstorms. Damage reports were not as widespread, but those that occurred tended to be in swaths related to cold pools from bowing segments or tornadoes. Eight tornadoes (three in northern Indian…
Flood · Feb 21, 2018. A slow release of a snow pack, containing one to over two inches of water, occurred in the days leading to the event which started the process of river rises in many areas. Low pressure tracked from northwest Iowa into northern Lower Michigan, which ushered in a rapid warmup and equally rapid release of any remaining water in the snow-pack. Several rounds of rain occurred between the 19th and 21st of February acro…
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2017. An area of convergence, combined with 35 to 40 knots of shear, over 2000 J/KG of CAPE and plenty of moisture all set the stage for thunderstorms to develop over southern Lake Michigan and work southeast. Pockets of wind damage were reported, along with some hail and flooding due to already wet conditions.
Flash Flood · Nov 5, 2017. Warm front provided the focus for morning thunderstorms that eventually turned into a bowing segment across NE IN into NW Ohio. Storms also developed across central Indiana and moved into portions of NE IN and NW Ohio. A cyclic supercell impacted Blackford and Jay county with a long tracked tornado and damage along its track. Flooding issues also occurred in some areas due to training and efficient rain producers.
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 Kosciusko 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.