42 flood insurance claims·$726,720 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 Wells 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.
15% of Wells County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
34 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 17 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 2003, with 19 claims and $435,808 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Wells County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| 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 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Winter Storm 12/23/98 | Jan 1, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2003 | — |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2003 | $4.5M · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2003 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 27, 2019. A warm front surged north across the region, allowing for a moderately unstable, highly sheared environment to exist. Thunderstorms developed in Illinois and moved into northern Indiana, producing damaging winds and several tornadoes.
Flood · Jun 15, 2015. Several rounds of rainfall brought flooding to many counties during a couple day period. On average, three to five inches of rain fell, often in a few hours. This rainfall occurred over already saturated ground from recent rains over the past couple of weeks. This resulted in an extended period of runoff and flooding issues.
Flash Flood · Jun 13, 2015. Storms initiated along a stationary front across northern Indiana. Moderate instability and weak shear led to a few wet downbursts which caused isolated wind damage. The greater threat became flooding as rainfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour became common.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2015. A northward retreating outflow boundary from morning thunderstorms and eastward migration of upstream instability allowed for convection to fire later in the evening as the cap eroded and an upstream upper level trough approached the region. Storms initially produced isolated hail and wind damage, however heavy rainfall and flash flooding quickly became the primary threat.
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 Wells 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.